Awards

• Short-listed for Carnegie Medal 2015

Overview

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Looming Tower—a timely revisiting of a diplomatic triumph between two Middle East nations and an inside look at how peace is made. • “Masterly…. Magnificent…. Wright reminds us that Carter’s Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage.” —The New York Times Book Review In September 1978, three world leaders—Menachem Begin of Israel, Anwar Sadat of Egypt, and U.S. president Jimmy Carter—met at Camp David to broker a peace agreement between the two Middle East nations. During the thirteen-day conference, Begin and Sadat got into screaming matches and had to be physically separated; both attempted to walk away multiple times. Yet, by the end, a treaty had been forged—one that has quietly stood for more than three decades, proving that peace in the Middle East is possible. Wright combines politics, scripture, and the participants’ personal histories into a compelling narrative of the fragile peace process. Begin was an Orthodox Jew whose parents had perished in the Holocaust; Sadat was a pious Muslim inspired since boyhood by stories of martyrdom; Carter, who knew the Bible by heart, was driven by his faith to pursue a treaty, even as his advisers warned him of the political cost. Wright reveals an extraordinary moment of lifelong enemies working together—and the profound difficulties inherent in the process. Thirteen Days in September is a timely revisiting of this diplomatic triumph and an inside look at how peace is made.

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Table of Contents

Reviews

Masterly. . . . Magnificent. . . . Wright reminds us that Carter's Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage. --The New York Times Book Review An illuminating view of a vital event. . . . Both riveting and revealing. --The Boston Globe Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. --The Economist Spellbinding. . . . A cliffhanger. . . . A page-turner. --Chicago Tribune Fascinating personal and historic detail. --The Christian Science Monitor Brilliant penetrating scholarship.... Elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.... Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. --Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. --Los Angeles Times A splendid and suspenseful account of the negotiations that led to the Camp David accord. --Minneapolis Star Tribune A chronicle of diplomatic success. . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. --The Plain Dealer A unique moment in history superbly captured. . . . A day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks. . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. --Kirkus Reviews (starred) Meticulously researched. . . . Almost nail-bitingly tense. . . . An authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. --Publishers Weekly (starred) Masterly. . . . Magnificent. . . . Wright reminds us that Carter s Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage. The New York Times Book Review An illuminating view of a vital event. . . . Both riveting and revealing. The Boston Globe Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. The Economist Spellbinding. . . . A cliffhanger. . . . A page-turner. Chicago Tribune Fascinating personal and historic detail. The Christian Science Monitor Brilliant penetrating scholarship.... Elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.... Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. Los Angeles Times A splendid and suspenseful account of the negotiations that led to the Camp David accord. Minneapolis Star Tribune A chronicle of diplomatic success. . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. The Plain Dealer A unique moment in history superbly captured. . . . A day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks. . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. Kirkus Reviews (starred) Meticulously researched. . . . Almost nail-bitingly tense. . . . An authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. Publishers Weekly (starred) Masterly. . . . Magnificent. . . . Wright reminds us that Carter's Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage. -- The New York Times Book Review An illuminating view of a vital event. . . . Both riveting and revealing. -- The Boston Globe Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. -- The Economist Spellbinding. . . . A cliffhanger. . . . A page-turner. -- Chicago Tribune Fascinating personal and historic detail. -- The Christian Science Monitor Brilliant penetrating scholarship.... Elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.... Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. -- Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. -- Los Angeles Times A splendid and suspenseful account of the negotiations that led to the Camp David accord. -- Minneapolis Star Tribune A chronicle of diplomatic success. . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. -- The Plain Dealer A unique moment in history superbly captured. . . . A day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks. . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred) Meticulously researched. . . . Almost nail-bitingly tense. . . . An authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. -- Publishers Weekly (starred) Praise for Thirteen Days in September One of the New York Times Top Ten Best Books of the Year A magnificent book [from] one of our finest nonfiction writers. . . . In his minute-by-minute account of the talks Wright intersperses a concise history of Egyptian-Israeli relations dating from the story of Exodus. Even more important is Wright's understanding that Sadat, Begin and Carter were not just political leaders, but exemplars of the Holy Land's three internecine religious traditions. --Joe Klein, New York Times Book Review, front page An engrossing chronicle of Carter's marathon peace negotiations with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat at Camp David . . . an illuminating view of a vital event that has been all but forgotten--and of a single-minded, even messianic president whose White House years have been denigrated and discredited . . . In examining the three, Wright is both fascinated and fair-minded, seeing men of faith and fortitude, and ultimately of vision, with stark similarities and even starker differences. . . . A wonderful book. --David M. Shribman, Boston Globe A psychologically astute and lively history of the Arab-Israeli conflict told through the lens of the negotiations that brought one of its most bitter and bloody chapters to an end. --Samuel Thrope, Haaretz One of the many merits of Wright's book is to demonstrate, at a moment when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict looks more intractable than ever, how unswerving commitment allied to imagination and boldness can make something of nothing. The sine qua non, however, is political courage, an almost forgotten commodity. --Roger Cohen, The New York Review of Books It is brilliant penetrating scholarship. . . . Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. By using each man's biography to illuminate the history of his respective nation, he not only chronicles Camp David but elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East. --Jeff Labrecque, Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. --Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times A unique moment in history superbly captured . . . a day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Meticulously researched . . . almost nail-bitingly tense . . . an authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review In fine sketches of the personalities -- not just Carter, Sadat, and Begin, but their eccentric minions -- Wright shows just how difficult it was to achieve a lasting truce, and makes old news only more relevant in a region where something new happens every day but nothing really changes. --Boris Kachka, Vulture.com The best part of Thirteen Days in September --edging out even its breakneck pace and utterly confident narrative style--is Wright's almost Plutarchian skill at character sketches. --Steve Donaghue, Open Letters Monthly Literature Review. Fascinating personal and historic detail. -- Christian Science Monitor A splendid and suspenseful account of the Camp David negotiations. --Vince Camuto, Minneapolis Star/Tribune Spellbinding . . . A cliffhanger . . . What makes the story a page-turner isn't the day-by-day details of the negotiations. It's Wright's seamless, compelling backgrounding of the region's violent history, the enmities and peculiarities of the players who came to the remote presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains to reach a monumental, if flawed, accord that endures to this day. --Ellen Warren, The Chicago Tribune Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. -- The Economist A chronicle of diplomatic success . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. --Earl Pike, Cleveland Plain Dealer From the Hardcover edition. Praise for Thirteen Days in September A magnificent book [from] one of our finest nonfiction writers. . . . In his minute-by-minute account of the talks Wright intersperses a concise history of Egyptian-Israeli relations dating from the story of Exodus. Even more important is Wright's understanding that Sadat, Begin and Carter were not just political leaders, but exemplars of the Holy Land's three internecine religious traditions. --Joe Klein, New York Times Book Review, front page It is brilliant penetrating scholarship. . . . Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. By using each man's biography to illuminate the history of his respective nation, he not only chronicles Camp David but elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East. --Jeff Labrecque, Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. --Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times A unique moment in history superbly captured . . . a day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Meticulously researched . . . almost nail-bitingly tense . . . an authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review In fine sketches of the personalities -- not just Carter, Sadat, and Begin, but their eccentric minions -- Wright shows just how difficult it was to achieve a lasting truce, and makes old news only more relevant in a region where something new happens every day but nothing really changes. --Boris Kachka, Vulture.com The best part of Thirteen Days in September --edging out even its breakneck pace and utterly confident narrative style--is Wright's almost Plutarchian skill at character sketches. --Steve Donaghue, Open Letters Monthly Literature Review. Fascinating personal and historic detail. -- Christian Science Monitor A splendid and suspenseful account of the Camp David negotiations. --Vince Camuto, Minneapolis Star/Tribune An engrossing chronicle of Carter's marathon peace negotiations with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat at Camp David . . . an illuminating view of a vital event that has been all but forgotten--and of a single-minded, even messianic president whose White House years have been denigrated and discredited . . . In examining the three, Wright is both fascinated and fair-minded, seeing men of faith and fortitude, and ultimately of vision, with stark similarities and even starker differences. . . . A wonderful book. --David M. Shribman, Boston Globe Spellbinding . . . A cliffhanger . . . What makes the story a page-turner isn't the day-by-day details of the negotiations. It's Wright's seamless, compelling backgrounding of the region's violent history, the enmities and peculiarities of the players who came to the remote presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains to reach a monumental, if flawed, accord that endures to this day. --Ellen Warren, The Chicago Tribune Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. -- The Economist A psychologically astute and lively history of the Arab-Israeli conflict told through the lens of the negotiations that brought one of its most bitter and bloody chapters to an end. --Samuel Thrope, Haaretz A chronicle of diplomatic success . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. --Earl Pike, Cleveland Plain Dealer From the Hardcover edition.

Masterly. . . . Magnificent. . . . Wright reminds us that Carter's Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage. -- The New York Times Book Review An illuminating view of a vital event. . . . Both riveting and revealing. -- The Boston Globe Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. -- The Economist Spellbinding. . . . A cliffhanger. . . . A page-turner. -- Chicago Tribune Fascinating personal and historic detail. -- The Christian Science Monitor Brilliant penetrating scholarship.... Elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.... Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. -- Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. -- Los Angeles Times A splendid and suspenseful account of the negotiations that led to the Camp David accord. -- Minneapolis Star Tribune A chronicle of diplomatic success. . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. -- The Plain Dealer A unique moment in history superbly captured. . . . A day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks. . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. -- Kirkus Reviews (starred) Meticulously researched. . . . Almost nail-bitingly tense. . . . An authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. -- Publishers Weekly (starred)

Masterly. . . . Magnificent. . . . Wright reminds us that Carter's Camp David was an act of surpassing political courage. --The New York Times Book Review An illuminating view of a vital event. . . . Both riveting and revealing. --The Boston Globe Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. --The Economist Spellbinding. . . . A cliffhanger. . . . A page-turner. --Chicago Tribune Fascinating personal and historic detail. --The Christian Science Monitor Brilliant penetrating scholarship.... Elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East.... Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. --Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. --Los Angeles Times A splendid and suspenseful account of the negotiations that led to the Camp David accord. --Minneapolis Star Tribune A chronicle of diplomatic success. . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. --The Plain Dealer A unique moment in history superbly captured. . . . A day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks. . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. --Kirkus Reviews (starred) Meticulously researched. . . . Almost nail-bitingly tense. . . . An authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. --Publishers Weekly (starred)

Praise for Thirteen Days in September One of the New York Times Top Ten Best Books of the Year A magnificent book [from] one of our finest nonfiction writers. . . . In his minute-by-minute account of the talks Wright intersperses a concise history of Egyptian-Israeli relations dating from the story of Exodus. Even more important is Wright's understanding that Sadat, Begin and Carter were not just political leaders, but exemplars of the Holy Land's three internecine religious traditions. --Joe Klein, New York Times Book Review, front page An engrossing chronicle of Carter's marathon peace negotiations with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat at Camp David . . . an illuminating view of a vital event that has been all but forgotten--and of a single-minded, even messianic president whose White House years have been denigrated and discredited . . . In examining the three, Wright is both fascinated and fair-minded, seeing men of faith and fortitude, and ultimately of vision, with stark similarities and even starker differences. . . . A wonderful book. --David M. Shribman, Boston Globe A psychologically astute and lively history of the Arab-Israeli conflict told through the lens of the negotiations that brought one of its most bitter and bloody chapters to an end. --Samuel Thrope, Haaretz One of the many merits of Wright's book is to demonstrate, at a moment when the Israeli-Palestinian conflict looks more intractable than ever, how unswerving commitment allied to imagination and boldness can make something of nothing. The sine qua non, however, is political courage, an almost forgotten commodity. --Roger Cohen, The New York Review of Books It is brilliant penetrating scholarship. . . . Wright expertly captures every move of the three-way realpolitik chess match. By using each man's biography to illuminate the history of his respective nation, he not only chronicles Camp David but elucidates the issues that continue to plague the Middle East. --Jeff Labrecque, Entertainment Weekly Exceedingly balanced, highly readable, and appropriately sober. --Hector Tobar, Los Angeles Times A unique moment in history superbly captured . . . a day-by-day account of the tense negotiations that shaped these historic talks . . . Yet another triumph for Wright. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Meticulously researched . . . almost nail-bitingly tense . . . an authoritative, fascinating, and relatively unbiased exploration of a pivotal period and a complicated subject. -- Publishers Weekly, starred review In fine sketches of the personalities -- not just Carter, Sadat, and Begin, but their eccentric minions -- Wright shows just how difficult it was to achieve a lasting truce, and makes old news only more relevant in a region where something new happens every day but nothing really changes. --Boris Kachka, Vulture.com The best part of Thirteen Days in September --edging out even its breakneck pace and utterly confident narrative style--is Wright's almost Plutarchian skill at character sketches. --Steve Donaghue, Open Letters Monthly Literature Review. Fascinating personal and historic detail. -- Christian Science Monitor A splendid and suspenseful account of the Camp David negotiations. --Vince Camuto, Minneapolis Star/Tribune Spellbinding . . . A cliffhanger . . . What makes the story a page-turner isn't the day-by-day details of the negotiations. It's Wright's seamless, compelling backgrounding of the region's violent history, the enmities and peculiarities of the players who came to the remote presidential retreat in the Maryland mountains to reach a monumental, if flawed, accord that endures to this day. --Ellen Warren, The Chicago Tribune Mr. Wright displays a sensitive understanding of the region and a fine pen as he sketches in the characters and motivations of the three main players. -- The Economist A chronicle of diplomatic success . . . The heart of the book is the daily, sometimes hourly shifts in tactics and postures, stands and counterstands, that unfolded over 13 days in 1978. --Earl Pike, Cleveland Plain Dealer From the Hardcover edition.

Author Information

LAWRENCE WRIGHT is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a playwright, and a screenwriter. He is the best-selling author of the novel, The End of October, and ten books of nonfiction, including Going Clear, God Save Texas, and The Looming Tower, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. He and his wife are longtime residents of Austin, Texas.

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