Historian and journalist Tom Segev's book 1949: The First Israelis incited controversy in Israel upon its initial publication. A landmark text, it told a different story of the country's early years-one that wasn't taught in schools or shown in popular culture. Rather than painting an idealized portrait of Israel's founding, one that occurred directly on the heels of the Holocaust, Segev chose to honestly report the country's troubled beginnings.

In 1948, the new country of Israel faced challenges on all sides. Day-to-day life was severe, marked by austerity and food shortages; Israeli society was fractured between traditional and secular camps; Jewish immigrants from Middle Eastern countries flooded into the country, only to face discrimination and second-class treatment; and clashes between settlers and the Arabs would set the tone for relations in the following decades, hardening attitudes and creating a violent cycle of retaliation.

Drawing on journal entries, letters, declassified government documents, and more, 1949: The First Israelis is a richly detailed look at the friction between the idealism of the Zionist movement and the realities of building a nation. Decades after its publication in the United States and featuring a new introduction by the author, Segev's groundbreaking book is still required reading for anyone who wants to understand the origins of Israeli conflict-both in the Middle East and within its own borders.