About book The Volunteer: The Incredible True Story Of An Israeli Spy On The Trail Of International Terrorists (2007)
A storm is coming, and it would appear that those of us who cherish life, liberty and the goodness in our way of life will have no choice but to endure it. I decided not to wait for the inevitable. I volunteered. A highly informative look into the modern world of counter-terrorism and international intelligence, especially in the Middle East, this memoir details the author’s twelve years of experience serving as an undercover agent in the Mossad.Michael Ross left his native Canada with not much and his travels soon led him to Israel, where, after serving in the IDF for a time, he was eventually recruited by the Mossad. So began his career as an undercover agent in the fascinating world of secret intelligence.Although the narrative dragged at times and wasn't very action-packed (the blurb didn't use the best adjective, there; I would say "compelling" is a more fitting word), I appreciated the honesty with which Ross portrays not the glamour and excitement of Hollywood's world of spies but the very real one of slow, at times painstaking and frustrating, everyday work within the intelligence community, both in the field and in the office; much of the book deals with nothing more than ordinary people working hard to slot little pieces into a giant jigsaw which, for the most part, they can't see in its entirety. Mistakes are made, leads are lost and constant pressure takes its toll mentally, but there are also quiet moments of triumph, a few astounding breakthroughs, some satisfying conclusions and almost completely unheard-of successes...all right under the nose of the public, and greatly under-appreciated (or unappreciated) by them. Sometimes I found myself exclaiming, "Why did we never read about that in the news?!"Ross is also frank about the effects his career had on his family and his own psyche, as well as other Mossad operatives.I loved the various quotes chosen as an introduction to each chapter, and my favourite parts were Ross's information about training, joint operations and the touchy relationship between different intelligence agencies, such as the Mossad and the CIA.Having converted to Judaism and committed so much of his life to Israel, Ross is understandably a little biased, but for the most part this didn't interfere with the accuracy of his account. I think this book is especially relevant today, considering recent events in the Middle East and the anti-Israel sentiment being stirred up by the media as a result. There are two sides to every coin.You'll learn a lot about the Mossad without really learning much. Which, I am sure, is exactly how it's intended to be.It's a good story and I liked its modern context (published 2007), but if you want a broader and more intense book about the Mossad, I recommend Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad as a better alternative.But for anyone seeking more than just an overview and willing to dig deeper, The Volunteer: The Incredible True Story of an Israeli Spy on the Trail of International Terrorists is a great inside perspective of the Mossad.
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