I got this book about 20 days ago and I just finished. If I can use one word to describe this book it will be "introspection". The author spends about 50% of his narrative on his Jewishness and his desire to be in touch with it entirely. A lot of the introspection is about his childhood and upbringing; moving to Israel; life in Israel; and his feelings/reactions to special operations in the IDF special forces (Duvdevan). The other 50% is very unrevealing in the way of military operations. Very little is conveyed in the way of tradecraft and what is revealed is very basic. He does provide a glimpse into IDF special mission units, but just a glimpse. Of course, he is protecting operational security and methods, but it leaves a lot to be desired of a book with such a title. It seems like the story glosses over missions and operations and then he abruptly ends the book with his exit from the Israeli Defense Forces. It then becomes a little preachy on the lack of American resolve post-9/11. Otherwise, a good book with something to be desired. I came away feeling like he could have written more.

A good read and a fascinating story, Cohen becomes a man in the IDF and makes it to a special unit. The story brought me back to my days in the IDF. Some details are a bit exaggerated for effect or inaccurate but it doesn't take from the quality of the story.

I found this book to be very interesting. It takes you thru the life of an individual who leaves CA to return to Israel to become a special operator. It was interesting to read of the differences between American and Israeli training methods. Easy to read, well worth the money.

Aaron Cohen is the epitome of strength and courage. He's a man who wouldn't let anything stop him from achieving his goal; making aliyah to Israel and joining the toughest counterterrorism military units in the world. The reader gets an inside view of Israeli special forces training along with Israeli history, culture, and values. Cohen tells it like it is, very in-your-face. It was very hard to put down and an intense fast read. One of my favorite moments was when Cohen returned to the kibbutz and Gali greeted him in Hebrew and treated him like a fellow warrior. Very touching, inspirational, and fascinating story.

I bought this book hoping to see if Aaron received any Krav Maga training and what he thought about it, and I got what I wanted. His descriptions of the Krav training were terrific. It's pretty aggressive stuff, always testing your determination. But he also tells a compelling story. Growing up in LA, seeing his parents hang out with the stars, he needed some direction in life. He, of course, goes to Israel, joins the military and tries out for their special forces. Very gritty descriptions of the hell they put him through, the long-distance march, the heat, becoming delirious. He details some of the Israeli special forces missions, which are fascinating. I loved the story where he pretends to be a reporter "interviewing" a bad guy. Then he unleashes some pent-up aggression. I wanted more special forces stories. But I realize he can only tell what he is allowed to tell.

I absolutely loved this book! I was hoping for more details on Israeli Special Forces, but I understand due to the sensitivity of the disclosure of information, that wasn't possible. However, it was still a riveting read and amazing what Cohen went through. I enjoyed it so much I finished it cover to cover in less than two days.

Decently written, filled with the author's interesting opinions on various topics. Excellent descriptions of the physical training elements the author endured, particularly the IDF self defense system Krav Maga. The book impressed me so much I started taking lessons at a Krav school nearby.

This is probably one of the best books I have read in a long time. It's a fast read, and hard to put down. Although a large section of it covers the author's background and training rather than actual missions, it is quite fascinating to read about the Israeli special forces training. One of the more interesting aspects of their training is what they call "aggressiveness training" which is basically one man against the rest of his squad in hand to hand combat. Pretty cool. The descriptions of actual missions was quite interesting as well. At the end the author makes some good recommendations about how the US should rethink it's methods of fighting terrorists. Overall an excellent book.

An incredible history of transformation in battle, sure to annoy Michael Moore and Pat Buchanan. Despite them, and because of heroes like the author, am yisroel chai. 3400 years and counting.

Aaron Cohen goes from being a pampered Beverly Hills slacker youth to a hardened, kick-ass Israeli Special Ops warrior in this engaging book. Goodbye 90210, hello Black Ops.Cohen traces the path of his personal transformation and his iron will desire to survive the rigors of the brutal training program that one must endure in order to become a counter-terrorism operative in the Israeli special forces.

The experience is so intense, however, that after about three years Cohen gets burned out and opts not to extend his service. Instead, he returns to Beverly Hills and starts up his own security service. Here, he closes his book with observations and criticisms of the American approach to security and lessons that the US should have learned after 9/11/

Cohen - who on the cover bears an uncanny resemblance to Michael Imperioli (Christopher) on "The Sopranos" - offers further reflections on some of the moral dilemmas in risking the lives of children and non-combatants in the fight against terrorism. It also raises questions as to how long even the most motivated can sustain an operational tempo at the pace expected by Israel's Duvdevan.

If you are a fan of military books or special operations, you will enjoy "Brotherhood of Warriors."