This is my favorite Leon Uris, unless I just read Armageddon. The story of the birth of Israel is given while telling the story of Ari Ben Cannan, a Jewish soldier who once served in the British Army and an American nurse called Kitty Fremont who meets him while serving Jewish orphans from Europe after World War II.

Uris provides a great background to modern Israel and how the Jews who emigrated there in the 19th and 20th centuries took back the land of milk and honey.

The brutal struggle for a Jewish homeland is bitter sweet, telling of the horrors the Jews endured both during World War II and their war of independence.

As always, Uris's characters are flawed, but likeable even more because they are. This is a beautiful story and one that is important today because Israel is still fighting for its right to exist and the Palestinians do not have the homeland they were promised as part of the UN mandate as well.

This tragic and beautiful epic has changed my life and my appreciation for the Jewish people. It is a fictional documentation of the establishment of Israel, but there is so much more to its history and Uris delivers it flawlessly. The main players are introduced through separate narratives throughout the first half of the book: the angelic Karen whose life is saved by a family in Denmark, the wily Dov Landau who survives the Polish ghettos and the horrific Auschwitz, and most importantly, the heroic Ari Ben Canaan and his family who established and shaped the land. Another interesting perspective comes from the American nurse, Kitty Fremont, who finds herself involved in the plight of the Jews and becomes a foster mother to young Karen.

It seems an impossible feat for a race that is hated throughout the world to migrate to a desert wasteland surrounded by Arabs and other hostile forces and THRIVE. Additionally, I had never realized the role the British had in screwing the Jews over in their attempt to live peacefully in Palestine after World War II. There are so many different layers to the story that by the time I finished the book, I had almost forgotten about the initial planning on Cyprus and the blockade of the Exodus. Through nothing short of a miracle (and sheer determination and hard work), the land was reclaimed, the British were intimidated, and immigration began full force. The work these people put in to turning the desert into farmland and the cooperation and equality in which they ran their communities was inspirational. The Arabs remained a constant threat, but Israel was determined to be recognized as an independent nation, and they fought to victory against all odds. The world was forced to acknowledge the fledgling nation and was amazed at its success. So was I.

I was deeply moved by this book. It was both tragic and triumphant. I am amazed at the hardships the Jewish people faced, not only to establish their nation, but throughout history. But through it all, they stand united and truly seem blessed by God.

Mr. Uris uses narrative with the relationship between ordinary Jews coupled with real history to describe the creation of Israel. Whats important in this book is the relationship with Britain, which is not really common knowledge, as far as I know anyway.

This is a powerful novel. You won't be able to put it down. Surely, the author is partisan, but isn't every author? The book is well worth reading. Tom Segev's "One Palestine, Complete" is a non-fictional account of the same topic.

I have had this book in my line-up for quite some time. Every time I looked at it as a possible read I just got a sense that it would be uninteresting. Well, I have to say that my fears were warranted. This book is almost as long and arduous as the plight of the Israelites. The story itself would be better off without the huge section of dull history stuck in the middle. I did become involved in the characters to a point, but never got a true feeling of realness in them. They just never completely developed. I do have to say that I came out with a better sense of the problems that the Israelites have had to face and I am sure that was the author's purpose.

This time I read the book, my 4th to be exact, it was still as amazing as the first time. It was and remains my favorite book.

One of the most powerful books of the last century, Leon Uris "Exodus" (1960) is an exiting and deeply moving novel which was written by a talented and passionate man. The best, the most inspirational parts of the book are the depictions of the historical events dealing with the origins of ghetto system, pogroms in Russia, the long and fascinating journey of two brothers from a small Russian town to Palestine by foot, the ideas of Theodor Herzl, the birth of kibbutzes in Palestine, and enormous labor of kibbutznicks to make the land fertile, to grow plants and trees where the desert, rocks, and swamps had been. Uris was also able to find the compelling words, images, and characters to reflect on the tragedy of European Holocaust, on the dramatic story of United Nations voting for partition of Palestine in 1947 and on the war of the infant state of Israel against its multiple and hostile neighbors for the right to exist and be an independent country. I took the book with me in my trip to Israel a year and a half ago and reading it while be able to see the places it describes with such passion and love, to see the land that is called "promised land" or "Holy land" WAS one of the most emotional and unforgettable experiences in my life.

In the same manner that Herman Wouk's "Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" took us through the vast event that was WWII, as seen through the eyes of a family of beloved fictional characters -- so does Leon Uris' "Exodus" carry us through the labor pains and birth of the modern State of Israel, as seen through the eyes of a family of fictional figures in that resurrected nation.

The story is huge in scope and Uris covers a lot of territory within the allotted pages. He takes us from the Jewish displaced persons camps of post war Europe, through the Zionist immigration into Palestine(much of it illegal) under the British mandate, then through the rebuilding of the land and the growing skirmishes leading to all out war for survival as the Britsh withdrew (as prescribed by the UN) and the State of Israel was birthed - and immediately and overwhelmingly attacked by the surrounding Arab nations. Miraculously, Israel overcame their attackers, survived, and even thrived.

As best I can judge from comparison to other sources, the historical sequence of events as described by Uris is accurate. The information is highly educational. More subjectively, Uris was Jewish and writes from a Zionist perspective. He depicts the Hebrews as noble, resourceful, and courageous. Generally, the Arab elements are portrayed as cruel, deceptive, cowardly, and not given to playing by the rules. The British are painted as anti-Semites. I'll leave it to the reader to root out the truth of the matter.

Uris does not neglect the spiritual aspect and the acknowledgment of the supernatural provisional and protective hand of God . . . the God of the Hebrews. Uris employs this sometimes by intimation and sometimes very directly.

The author did masterful research and presentation relating to the historical facts. However (at least in this early novel), his character development and continuity, and dialogue, is not on par with other 20th century master novelists (use Herman Wouk again for comparison). Some characterizations are overstated, others are fluid and changing, some are borderline silly. Also, Uris could have given us a little better peek at the personalities, quirks, foibles, etc. of the actual historical political and military figures of the era (David Ben Gurion is barely mentioned just a couple of times). He didn't. A shame.

Still - this is an epic piece of modern historical fiction. If you deeply love or hate Israel, this is worth the read and highly recommended.

I bought this book because I've enjoyed numerous other books by Uris, and always felt he tried to do right by his historical subject. Given the turmoil that's marked Mid East history seemingly forever, I thought this would be an intersting way to learn a piece of history about which I knew little. Just how did the modern state of Israel come into existence? The answer may surprise you. Most of us know it came on the heels of the Holocaust, but how many readers are aware that England endorsed the formation of a Jewish state thirty years earlier, then reversed itself out of fear over losing favor with the Arab oil sheiks? They actually gave aid and comfort to the Arabs while trying to squash the flegling Israeli army. The US was then and now their only true ally. Even still, real assistance from the rest of the world came mostly in the form of private donations of money and supplies. Outnumbered 100:1, the fact that Israel prevailed in it's war for independence was nothing short of a miracle.
Understandably, no one should take any book at 100% face value whether sold as non-fiction or a novel. There is another side to the story. But you should come away asking some serious questions.

Although the actual story has some historical inaccuracies, it's a true masterpiece and a must-read for any zionist. It give us a deep perspective into the importance of the State of Israel, especially nowadays, when the whole world seems to forget the legitimacy and importance of the State of Israel.

In the Jewish Torah (also known as the first five books of the Christian Old Testament), the central story deals with the return of the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt to the land of Canaan. This exodus from Egypt may be viewed as legend or fact depending on your point-of-view. What is clearly fact is the modern Exodus, when Jews (the descendants of the Israelites) returned to Palestine (the area formerly known as Canaan or Judea, and soon to be known as Israel). This Exodus is chronicled in Leon Uris's book of the same name; it is a novel filled with historical fact, and for the most part, it is successful.

Exodus tells of the years right after World War II, primarily from 1946 to the establishment of Israel in May, 1948. Against this epic backdrop is told the story of four principal characters. Karen Clement is a teenage Jewish girl who was successfully hidden in Denmark during the war; of her entire family, she may have been the only survivor; only her father's fate remains in doubt. Dov Landau is of a similar age to Karen, but he had a much rougher time during the war, barely surviving the terrors of the concentration camp. Ari Ben Canaan grew up in Palestine and is an avid Zionist, fighting for the creation of a Jewish homeland. The most important character, however, is the non-Jewish one, Kitty Fremont. A nurse who has recently suffered the deaths of her husband and infant child, she views the Jews with suspicion. While not really anti-Semitic, she clearly views Jews as somewhat alien. Nonetheless, she finds herself falling for Ari and developing maternal instincts for Karen. More than for anyone else, Exodus is Kitty's story, the tale of the transformation of her character; she is a different person by the end of the book.

The first half of the book focuses on an effort to move a group of children from a Displaced Persons camp in Cyprus to Palestine. The transportation of these children (on a ship called the Exodus) really just serves as a framing story for a series of tales giving the histories of Ari, Dov and Karen (and to a much lesser extent, Kitty). After the voyage of the Exodus is completed, the second half of the novel begins, dealing with the move towards establishing the Israeli state. Of course, the reader knows that this will end in victory for the Jews, but what the costs will be to the individual characters is less certain.

Although written in the late 1950s, there is much that is relevant in this book even today. The story gives a perspective on the sources of Middle Eastern strife. What I found more interesting, however, is how it presented terrorism: essentially, one man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter. In today's world, when terrorism is often equated with pure evil, it is illuminating to read a story where some terrorists (particularly the Jews) are depicted as heroic. Of course, the terrorists of Exodus (who are more interested in sabotage than murder) are not nearly as nasty as, say Al Qaeda, but it is worthwhile to note the parallels and differences between the different groups.

If there are villains in Exodus, it is less the Arabs who resist the founding of Israel as the British, who come off looking bad as a group (although there are definitely some British "good guys"). It is the Brits, who clinging to their dwindling empire, who are shown to be the biggest source of the problems, reneging on promises and condoning atrocities.

As a historical novel, Uris sometimes focuses a little too much on the history and his characters sometimes disappear as the narration tells of actual events. Overall, however, this is a really good book. Good companion pieces to this book would be James Michener's The Source (which tells of the earlier history of Palestine/Israel) and Herman Wouk's pair of books, The Hope and The Glory (which tell the story of Israel from its founding to the 1980s). You don't have to be Jewish to get something out of Exodus; the story it tells, and the lessons that can be learned from it, are important for anyone.

This is a must read book! Although I loved it, it started slowly for me. I found the story of the detainee and the procuring of the ship slow, but after that the bravery and tenacity of the (to be) Israelis to be inspirational. Although growing up I use to hear gossip or quips about Jewish people, I had little to no experience with any Jews personally. This book has provided some insight as to who the Israeli people are. Even if the author was subjective (I'm not saying he was or wasn't) it is still a great story of and absolutely strong people. This book made me research many things it purported, which I was able to substantiate. After visiting New York I finally saw many orthodox Jews, it seems incredible that these people are the ancestors of such a brave fighting people. But then again their adherence to their religion and culture is affirmed and something I admire.