| View Larger Image | Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World's Most Elite Counterterrorism Units | Paperbackby Aaron Cohen (Author), Douglas Century (Author)
| List Price: | $14.99 | | Price: | $10.19 | | You Save: | $4.80 (32%) | | | Available: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
| | Binding: | Paperback | | Publisher: | Harper Perennial | | Edition: | Reprintth Edition | | Page Count: | 304 Pages | | Publication Date: | May 01, 2009 | | Sales Rank: | 42,370nd |
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FEATURES | - ISBN13: 9780061236167
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS |
Product Description
At the age of eighteen, Aaron Cohen left Beverly Hills to prove himself in the crucible of the armed forces. He was determined to be a part of Israel's most elite security cadre, akin to the American Green Berets and Navy SEALs. After fifteen months of grueling training designed to break down each individual man and to rebuild him as a warrior, Cohen was offered the only post a non-Israeli can hold in the special forces. In 1996 he joined a top-secret, highly controversial unit that dispatches operatives disguised as Arabs into the Palestinian-controlled West Bank to abduct terrorist leaders and bring them to Israel for interrogation and trial. Between 1996 and 1998, Aaron Cohen would learn Hebrew and Arabic; become an expert in urban counterterror warfare, the martial art of Krav Maga, and undercover operations; and participate in dozens of life-or-death missions. He would infiltrate a Hamas wedding to seize a wanted terrorist and pose as an American journalist to set a trap for one of the financiers behind the Dizengoff Massacre, taking him down in a brutal, hand-to-hand struggle. A propulsive, gripping read, Cohen's story is a rare, fly-on-the-wall view into the shadowy world of "black ops" that redefines invincible strength, true danger, and inviolable security. |
CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 38 reviews)
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Intense and Compelling by Meredon (Australia)  3 Stars
October 13, 2009
An intense and compelling account of a little known military unit which illustrates the mindset needed to combat terrorists. The author is frank about how he came to join Duvdevan and what it took to to qualify. This account left me interested to read the stories of those who went on to make a long term career in the unit.
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Read Dick Couch Instead by M. Sedgwick (Atlanta, GA)  2 Stars
October 06, 2009
Not nearly as interesting or insightful as other SF books, specifically Chosen Soldier and The Warrior Elite, among others. Furthermore Cohen is quite arrogant, condescending and gives very little if any credit to American (DEVGRU and Delta aren't even mentioned) or other elite counterterrorism forces (SAS) which undermines his credibility. Lastly, way too much information on his personal life before entering the Army. Many other alternatives for reading about special operations. Was very disappointed.
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A foriegn volunteer in Isreal! by Thorulf (Minnesota)  5 Stars
August 28, 2009
Mr. Cohen's gives us a savage tale of life as a foriegn volunteer in an Isreali Special Operations unit.
Inspired by his readings in Isreali military history, while studying in a Canadian military academy, Cohen was determined to volunteer. His mother was an up and coming Hollywood writer. He could have stayed home, and languished in the superficial glamour and luxury of Beverly Hills. Such a lifestyle is profoundly unthinkable to men of true character. Although only minimally proficient in Hebrew, he strove forth, going in harm's way for a foriegn land. Cohen did not venture all that way just to serve as a regular IDF soldier, he aspired to serve in a commando unit, and he achieved his goal!
If you are intrigued with Isreal and its valiant military, this is an astounding account of one man's experience in that nation's defense. I found the most striking factor to be the Spartan training methods and standards. The attrition factor in selection for Isreal's special operations units is understandably high. A tiny nation, with no considerable natural barriers against a numerically vast and implacably hostile enemy, simply must have the best possible operators in the field.
Cohen describes brutal close-combat training sessions in Krav Maga. He endured a curriculum of psychological/physical-conditioning sessions that would overwhelm many Olympic athletes, ...and most regular military personnel. He describes close-quarter combat training so thorough, that it was not unusual for trainees to fire 5000 rounds of ammunition in a day!
Here is a narrative of SERIOUS combat-training! It makes you think of the pathetic level of combat-training that is the standard in most military units today. They can learn something from this.
Serving in a counter-terrorist unit, the agents learned to emulate the enemy, for covert infiltration of Palestinian Arab communities. Naturally, for security concerns, the author generalizes some of the information, as pertaining to missions, locations, and certain skills and training.
All of this took place inside of a three year enlistment! Clearly, all things considered, it is very likely that Israel possesses the most stringently selective special-operations force in the world today.
I refuse to believe that someone who fails such a course late in the training, is "useless" to special operations. There are naturally limited openings for vacant positions in such units, but it still staggers the imagination to consider the wasted resources of turning away someone who made it very far into the training, only to fail late in the game. Naturally, in the small units described in this book, unit cohesiveness is a prime factor in mission success. Surely there must be a place for those who made it through most of the training, to find another palce in a similar unit.
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Worth a read, but not highly recommended by P. Weaver (Chapel Hill, NC United States) 3 Stars
July 27, 2009
I agree with a previous reviewer that the first two-thirds of this book is very slow moving. Often the author repeats himself, sometimes even on the same page. While the book obviously was not meant for juveniles, the writing style makes me think that's who the intended audience is. Perhaps he just needed a good reviewer for his work before it was published.
As far as the book itself, over half of it is an introduction into the author's childhood and what motivated him to join the Israeli Special Forces, as well as his training in that unit. While some of this background information is interesting, I was expecting the majority or the book to include information about actual operations that he was involved in. My thought is that maybe much of this information is classified and cannot be published. Either way, I think the book could have been written a bit better to focus on his actual work for the Special Forces, and not so much his childhood and training.
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Outstanding story of a Canadian in one of Israel's Special Forces units by Kiwi (Mississauga, Ontario Canada) 5 Stars
July 22, 2009
I picked this book up after reading some of the reviews. What an oustanding piece of writing and an enthralling, interesting and educational story. Personally, I couldn't put the book down, read it from cover to cover in one go. If you've got an interest in Special Forces, this is an insightful look into one particular unit and it's training, philosophy and missions. As well, you learn a lot about the author, his early life, why he decided to go into the Israeli Army and try for a Special Forces unit.
For me personally, it was interesting to read about the training methods the Israeli's use. Pretty damned intense and aggressive seems to sum it up. And practical as well. Where most western special forces units use regular force guys in the military for a career, preferably with a few years already under their belt, and can afford an extended training path, the Israeli's largely use conscripts who have volunteered and are only in the Army for a short period (3 years or so). This imposes considerable differences in training. As does the fact that Israeli Special Forces units are constantly in action. Some fascinating stories in the book of various actions the author took part in. I also found the lengthy description of the training regime fascinating.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of Israeli culture and society. Having known a few Israeli's, there were a few things he said that made me laugh. The in-your-face pushiness especially. Also some pretty insightful looks at the Arab mindset and culture.
All in all, a great read and educational as well. We can all learn from this book.
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