The first full account, based on access to key players who have never before spoken, of the Munich Massacre and the Israeli response–a lethal...
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reviews
Oct 10, 2009
Allison
rated it: 
To be fair, the book did seem to be well researched and well written. But, it was not quite what I expected and I did not enjoy reading it and it left me with a sour feeling. The book is about the horrible 72 Munich olympics massacre and Isreal's response (well, no surprise there, that's all in the title). But, I didn't realize that the Massacre probably could have been avoided or at least lessened if the host country had handled things differently. For just one example, one of the guys kill
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Mar 25, 2011
Michael
rated it: 
For me, the most interesting thing about the book was the first quarter of it, which details the actual events leading up to and including the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics by the Palestinian terror organization Black September. The rest of the book is dedicated to describing various assassination plots by the Mossad (successful and unsuccessful) intended as both revenge and deterrent. (The difference between the actual assassinations and those depicted in Stephen Spie
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Jul 02, 2009
Erik
rated it: 
Good introduction to the 1972 Munich Massacre and Israel's response. A lot of this was covered in Spielberg's Munich, though what that movie failed to make explicit is that the retaliation Israel undertook was not against the actual perpetrators of the Munich Massacre, but of low-level Black September operatives who had tangential ties to the PLO and Fatah. These target really meant nothing in the wide scheme of things, other than those killed in the infamous Spring of Youth strike in the hear
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Apr 19, 2011
Megan
rated it:
I've been fascinated by the history behind the rise of extremism/terrorism, and its coming to fruition with Black September. What a lot of people may not know, and what this book helps put in perspective is that Palestinian terrorist groups were more secular and nationalistic, then fundamentalist and based in Islam. There is a line in the film adaptation based on the Mossad counterterrorism unit; "Home is everything." I really think that strikes a chord with all groups laying claim to
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Feb 14, 2010
Ray
rated it:
"Striking Back" provides a good background on the Israeli - Palestinian conflict which endures to this day. The book centers on the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre of the Israeli olympic team, and details a number of security failings of the Munich authorities which allowed the events to unfold as they did. Klein then tells the story of Israel's policy of preventive assassinations of the leaders of the Black September terrorists wing, using archived files of Israel's security forces.
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Jul 31, 2011
Andy
rated it:
In these days of slanted, emotion-laden, heavy-handed, entertainment-oriented journalism, Klein's book is welcome - it's comparatively dry, only wearing its heart on its sleeve occasionally. It's subtly (there's a word you don't hear much anymore) eye-opening throughout, from its account of the events leading to Black September's massacre of Israel's team of athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, to its discussion of the nature of terrorism in the early 70's (I wasn't aware, for example, that
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Sep 23, 2010
Ella
rated it:
To say that I was more than a little shocked at the mistakes and incompetence of the Israeli government and security would be an understatement. I chose this book after seeing the movie "Munich". The movie delt with the aftermath and payback of the Munich massacre and this book delt with the actual massacre and how the Israeli athletes were put in a risky situation with not much thought to their saftey. To much trust and too much "passing the buck" quashed any chance these me
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Apr 09, 2008
Janet
rated it:
Shockingly, I grew up unaware of the world at large until President Reagan awakened in me a sleeping Patriotism. In trying to understand the War on Terror, events on the timeline of my life scatter to reveal raw edges of dramas played out across the world’s stage. Striking Back details in dry chronology, the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre and Israel’s developing response to terror. I was 11 at the time and remember faintly that something had gone wrong at the Olympics. I was totally ignorant, knew
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Apr 03, 2008
Jonathan
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it: 
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Good narration.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Dec 22, 2011
Tom
rated it:
This is a fascinating, in-depth behind the scenes look at the Munich Olympics massacrea and the many years of plotted and accomplishing revenge assassiations by Israel's Mossad. The at times casual application of lethal shooting and explosives - with some collateral damage - comes across as irresponsible to do inthe apartments and streets of Europeans cities, etc.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
There is also fascinating details on methods and misfires in this well-researched book.
Aug 23, 2008
Miguel
rated it:
This is a difficult story to tell, mainly because reality is much less dramatic than the myth surrounding this episode in history. Firstly, most of the initial assassinations in the wake of Munich were low-level logistical support people who probably were not even involved in the original massacre. On balance, aside from Ali Hassan Salameh, the goal of revenge, as the title "Striking Back" suggests, was never really achieved (and even that his involvement disputed by some of Klein's s
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Mar 30, 2009
Rosanne
rated it:
I enjoyed the first part of this book due to the clear explanation of why the crime was committed. I became confused in the second half due to my lack of knowledge of the parties involved in the Isreal/Arab conflicts.
Feb 26, 2009
Holly
rated it:
After being wowed by the movie, Munich, I found this book and really loved it. It is one of those where you are there. Anything Mossad grabs my attention and this book does it anyway on its own merit.
Jun 02, 2011
Jon
rated it:
A very good book on the inner workings of the Mossad. What does Israel do when confronted with terror? I would not want to cross them!
Nov 26, 2010
Rushay
rated it:
was a good read,sounds fictional at times but you gotta shake your head ten times just to remind yourself how real this is.
Oct 06, 2008
Liz
rated it:
Before, during and after the 2008 Olympics, I was intrigued to read more about the Munich Olympics Massacre. This book was very compelling, covering the history of Israel and Palestine leading upto the events in Munich. And then of course, the events for many years afterwards. One of the goals of the terrorists that day was to make a statement to the world about the Palestinian plight. Considering that the image of a terrorist on the balcony showed up as a "Memorable Image from a Past Ol
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Feb 02, 2008
Monica
rated it:
Eric Bana's hotness inspired me to see Steven Spielberg's Munich, and Munich inspired me to read Striking Back. Munich is based off of a different book (Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorism Team) that puts a rosier spin on the revenge mission following the massacre at the Munich Olympics. Striking Back allows for more reality and talks about how some of these revenge missions had a degree of high fuckery oftentimes. A bit more unbiased. And a good read if you dig the Mossad,
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Jul 06, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Excellent detailed account of how the Munich Massacre changed the Israeli approach to terrorism.
Jan 15, 2009
Lindsay
rated it:
I recently saw "Munich" and am surprised, after reading this book, at how historically accurate the film was. I thought the film was excellent. It does a much better job turning the subject into a narrative than this book does.
May 29, 2008
Kendra
rated it:
A detailed account of the counterterrorism response of the Israeli government to the kidnapping and killing of 11 Israeli athletes at the Olympic Village in Munich in '72. An interesting look at what really happened during and after Black September's attack.
