Herman Wouk's Hope and Glory duology gives insight to current events

Herman Wouk was a well-known historical novelist who won a Pulitzer Prize in literature for The Caine Mutiny in 1952. He also penned Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both of which were made into television mini-series in the late eighties.

In the early nineties, he wrote two books covering the history of the State of Israel since coming into being in 1948 through the late eighties. Through the eyes of fictional characters, we meet historical figures who are key to Israel's survival during the early years and beyond.

The Hope and The Glory provide historical context to tragic current events

The two books show the almost constant state of warfare and danger the country lived in through the first 25 years of existence. It is a work of fiction, but Wouk places a lot of emphasis on retelling the historical events as they unfolded, from an Israeli point of view.

Current events are unfolding in many of the locations featured in these two books. The Hope and The Glory gives us some insight as to why this region is always in turmoil and through the characters, readers can put a face to those we read about in the news today.

The books also outline how the State of Israel came into being, and how it was forced on to the Palestinians of the time, and how there is a direct line of cause and effect that led to current events through decades of skirmishes, war, and even murder.

Readers also get a sense of how these rivals weren't just made in 1948, but are centuries and millennia in the making. Don't read these books looking for someone to blame, but read them to gain a better understanding of the ancient bad blood that exists between the different peoples and religions of the region.

As far as the story itself goes, as always, the characters are well-written, and filled with life that allows readers to get to know them and to experience their lives and emotions in a real way. If you've read other works by Wouk, you will recognize his style and mastery of telling historical stories with fictional characters.

Outside of his masterpiece tomes on World War II - the aforementioned Winds of War and War and Remembrance - The Hope and The Glory are Wouk's best work, even outpacing his Pulitzer-winning book. They are certainly his most important novels since those WWII books. Considering current events, they could even outweigh them historically.

As far a historical fiction goes, you can't find much better novels than The Hope and The Glory. In regard to current events, they are now must-read novels if you love the genre.