Subtitled Twelve Who Helped Mold Modern Israel, this group biography should hold strong appeal for all who are interested in perhaps the most dramatic facet of contemporary history- the creation of a new entity. The people chosen should seem to command this appeal:- Herzl, Yehuda, Jabotinsky, Henrietta Szold, Weizmann, Rabbi Kook, Edmond de Rothschild, Ben Gurion, Rachel Zelter, Ord Wingate and Zivia Habshush. Implicit in the story of all these men and women is the whole panorama of the making of Israel. Yet the effect is not wholly successful. The writing is very uneven and the emphasis seems to be almost more on the conflict than the unity. And yet where else could so much about so many be brought together in one place? The young student of contemporary history will find it invaluable.