A self-proclaimed guerrilla fighter for ideas, Baruch Kimmerling was an outspoken critic, prolific writer, and "public" sociologist. While he lived at the center of the Israeli society in which he was involved as both a scientist and a concerned citizen, he nevertheless felt marginal because of his unconventional worldview, his empathy for the oppressed and his exceptional sense of universal justice, which were at odds with prevailing views. In this autobiography, the author describes how he and his family escaped the Nazis and the circumstances that brought them to Israel, the development of his understanding of Israeli and Palestinian histories, of the narratives each society tells itself, and of the implacable "situation" - along with predictions of some of the most disturbing developments that are taking place right now as well as solutions he hoped were still possible. Kimmerlings deep concern for Israels well-being, peace and success also reveals that he was in effect a devoted Zionist, contrary to the claims of his detractors.
He dreamed of a genuinely democratic Israel, a country able to embrace all of its citizens without discrimination and to adopt peace as its most important objective. It is to this dream that this posthumous translation from Hebrew has been dedicated.
Introduction Part One: And This is the Story Chapter 1. So that the child would not understand Chapter 2. Fleeing Chapter 3. Fantasies Chapter 4. Ariel and Michael Chapter 5. The Transylvania was not the Roslan Chapter 6. The Library Part Two: Campus Chapter 7. At the Dormitories Chapter 8. Adam Chapter 9. My Bodys Betrayal Chapter 10. Diana Part Three: The Struggle Over the Paradigm Chapter 11. March 6th, 1969 Chapter 12. The Department Chapter 13. On Zionism Chapter 14. Between Boston and Toronto Chapter 15. On One Hand and on the Other Hand Chapter 16. Ancestors Sepulchers and Sons Graves Chapter 17. About The Nuclear Issue Chapter 18. This Constitution is Prostitution Chapter 19. The Mouse that Roared Chapter 20. State Option Chapter 21. The Right to Resist the Occupation Chapter 22. Kulturkampf Chapter 23. Politicians Chapter 24. Between Despair and Hope In Lieu of a Conclusion: Question Marks