"We were like children, almost outrageously young. We were simpletons, partisans." This is the story of a young man who leaves school full of heroism and soon runs into the arms of death. He must recognize the futility in courage, the historical guilt amidst all righteousness, and the naivety in heroism. For five decades, the great Israeli writer Yoram Kaniuk could not write about his experiences in the War of Independence of 1948. Now he tells the story of the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel in irresistibly beautiful images and shocking snapshots. Includes a historical map, timeline, glossary, and a portrait of the author in the appendix. "Kaniuk has never shied away from pushing the boundaries of what can be said, and sometimes going beyond.".