Shut Up, I'm Talking

And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government--A Memoir

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Humour & Comedy, General Humour, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book Shut Up, I'm Talking by Gregory Levey, Free Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Gregory Levey ISBN: 9781416593799
Publisher: Free Press Publication: April 22, 2008
Imprint: Free Press Language: English
Author: Gregory Levey
ISBN: 9781416593799
Publisher: Free Press
Publication: April 22, 2008
Imprint: Free Press
Language: English

Shut Up, I'm Talking is a smart, hilarious insider take on Israeli politics that reads like the bastard child of Thomas Friedman and David Sedaris. Now a political writer for Salon, Gregory Levey stumbled into a job as speechwriter for the Israeli delegation to the United Nations at age twenty-five and suddenly found himself, like a latter-day Zelig, in the company of foreign ministers, U.S. senators, and heads of state. Much to his surprise, he was soon attending U.N. sessions and drafting official government statements. The situation got stranger still when he was transferred to Jerusalem to write speeches for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Shut Up, I'm Talking is a startling account of Levey's journey into the nerve center of Middle Eastern politics at one of the most turbulent times in Israeli history. During his three years in the Israeli government, the Second Intifada continued on in fits and starts, Yasser Arafat died, Hamas came to power, and Ariel Sharon fell into a coma. Levey was repeatedly thrust into highly improbable situations -- from being the sole "Israeli" delegate (even though he's Canadian) at the U.N. General Assembly, with no idea how "his" country wanted to vote; to nearly inciting an international incident with his high school French translation of an Arab diplomat's anti-Israel remarks; to communicating with Israeli intelligence about the suspected perpetrators of suicide bombings; to being offered leftover salami from Ariel Sharon's lunch. As Levey got better acquainted with the personalities in the government's inner sanctum, he witnessed firsthand the improvisational and ridiculously casual nature of the country's behind-the-scenes leadership -- and realized that he wasn't the only one faking his way through politics.

With sharp insight and great appreciation for the absurd, Levey offers the first-ever look inside Israel's politics from the perspective of a complete outsider, ultimately concluding that the Israeli government is no place for a nice Jewish boy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Shut Up, I'm Talking is a smart, hilarious insider take on Israeli politics that reads like the bastard child of Thomas Friedman and David Sedaris. Now a political writer for Salon, Gregory Levey stumbled into a job as speechwriter for the Israeli delegation to the United Nations at age twenty-five and suddenly found himself, like a latter-day Zelig, in the company of foreign ministers, U.S. senators, and heads of state. Much to his surprise, he was soon attending U.N. sessions and drafting official government statements. The situation got stranger still when he was transferred to Jerusalem to write speeches for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Shut Up, I'm Talking is a startling account of Levey's journey into the nerve center of Middle Eastern politics at one of the most turbulent times in Israeli history. During his three years in the Israeli government, the Second Intifada continued on in fits and starts, Yasser Arafat died, Hamas came to power, and Ariel Sharon fell into a coma. Levey was repeatedly thrust into highly improbable situations -- from being the sole "Israeli" delegate (even though he's Canadian) at the U.N. General Assembly, with no idea how "his" country wanted to vote; to nearly inciting an international incident with his high school French translation of an Arab diplomat's anti-Israel remarks; to communicating with Israeli intelligence about the suspected perpetrators of suicide bombings; to being offered leftover salami from Ariel Sharon's lunch. As Levey got better acquainted with the personalities in the government's inner sanctum, he witnessed firsthand the improvisational and ridiculously casual nature of the country's behind-the-scenes leadership -- and realized that he wasn't the only one faking his way through politics.

With sharp insight and great appreciation for the absurd, Levey offers the first-ever look inside Israel's politics from the perspective of a complete outsider, ultimately concluding that the Israeli government is no place for a nice Jewish boy.

More books from Free Press

Cover of the book Tokugawa Religion by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book This Is Your Brain On Sex by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book The Power of Product Platforms by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Virtues of the Family by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Contrarian Investment Strategies by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book The 17 Day Diet Cookbook by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Moral Dimension by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book BLAMED The Dragon's Game Book V by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book The Moral Sense by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Tell Them Who I Am by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book The 18 Immutable Laws of Corporate Reputation by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Much Ado About Loving by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book Blockbuster by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book 14 Theses in Favor of Homeschooling by Gregory Levey
Cover of the book The Things Between Us by Gregory Levey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy