The Road to Peace: A Biography of Shimon Peres

Israeli journalist Golan discusses Peres's role as Israeli's defense minister in the 1950s, his cultivation of the French military and their aid to the Israeli armed forces. He then traces the political career, first as one of Israel's ``political twins'' along with Moshe Dayan (contending that Peres built the political power Dayan wielded), then as leader of the Labor party. Peres expected to win the premiership in the 1984 elections, but had to share it with Yitzhak Shamir, each taking a two-year turn. During his tenure Peres succeeded in bringing the Israeli Defense Force out of Lebanon, performed the ``economic miracle'' of decreasing inflation and took diplomatic initiatives that, according to Golan, restored Israel's reputation as a peace-loving nation. The author often refers to the Israeli public's mistrust of Peres and his undeserved reputation as ``a deceiver . . . a man incapable of taking the straight path.'' In this evasive biography Golan fails to explain adequately the source of that reputation or its validity. (Feb.)