Are you considering studying the Middle East as part of your homeschooling curriculum? Will you touch on the modern-day wars as well as the ancient, biblical conflicts between Israel and . . . just about everybody else? If so, The Yom Kippur War: The Arab-Israeli War of 1973 should find a place on your list of resource books to check out from the library. This 219-page, hardcover reference book is the definitive text on this important war in the Middle East.

After its decisive victory in the famous Six Days' War of 1967, Israel earned the grudging respect of its Arab neighbors. However, five years later, Syria and Egypt launched a coordinated surprise attack on the Jews' holiest day of the year--Yom Kippur. The Egyptians attacked across the Suez Canal while Syria focused on the Golan Heights. Both offensives were initially successful! Did Israel win this war? If so, how? What price did Israel pay?

The Yom Kippur War answers these and hundreds of other battlefield questions in minute detail. Students from middle-school age and up (especially young men) will appreciate the dozens of full-color and black-and-white pictures (lots of tanks and other military vehicles!), as well as the many bird's-eye-view maps of battles during the various stages of the campaigns. Interesting narratives about little-known war machines (like Israel's monster "roller-bridge") are sprinkled throughout the text, waiting to be discovered, as are battles with unlikely names, such as the "Battle of Chinese Farm."

The Yom Kippur War is not intended for light reading. It is a powerful narrative about a modern-day battle that has affected the Jewish people as surely as any battle in ancient times did. This book is best used as a resource book when students need information to write a report. Because of its limited use and high sticker price ($24.99), I would not personally stock The Yom Kippur War in my homeschool library unless I was devoting an entire year's study to Israel. However, I would definitely ask my library to carry this volume. It is an excellent addition to any library.

Product review by Susan K. Marlow, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January 2008