This book is a painfully detailed timeline of the events leading up to and during the Six-Day War. I wouldn’t really call it a book though — it’s more of an exhaustive research project, at least on the Israeli and American sides, and what’s known of the Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, and Soviet perspectives, complete with a massive list of footnotes.

Being a professional diplomat himself, Oren is particularly interested in every path, dead end, and decision-making process on the eve of the war. He introduces dozens of political figures, plenty of diplomatic jargon and allusions, and doesn’t seem concerned with entertaining the reader. But that’s exactly what makes the account so clear — it’s anything but a simplistic view or propaganda.

If you’re just looking for a general overview of the Six-Day War, this probably isn’t your best option — you might not even get through the first chapters. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine a serious discussion of the war with anyone who’s skipped it.