This book is the testament of a veteran American immigrant in Israel-both to the richness and intensity of personal life there and to the powerful, affirmative spirit of the society as a whole. The book's opening section offers cameos from the author's encounters with Israeli reality in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Its much-longer second section gives the unfolding story of Israel's coping with security and political challenges over the past decade, from terror and rocket attacks to a global delegitimization campaign to reflexive criticism by other democracies. The aim is to set the record straight and portray the country's indomitable will to survive and flourish.