I cannot decide if Yair Lapid is a better journalist than politician or the other way round, but his father, Tommy was for sure a journalist first. Part of the first wave of journalists in Eretz Israel, Lapid brought into the country a Mitteleuropean tradition of unconventional debate and anti-iconoclastic fervor. Such people do rarely have followers unless one grew up in the daily ambiance and ambivalence of addressing politics in that part of the world.
The Memories After My Death was written in 2009 in Hebrew, by Yair, and recently translated into English. Probably between translations and the writing of the son, original nuances were lost, but someone curious both about Tommy Lapid and his times can still receive satisfactory answers to a large array of questions.
The story is told chronologically, from the childhood years in Novi Sad and Budapest to the first impressions upon landing to Israel and Lapid's adventures in the world of post-communist businesses mediating media purchases in Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of billionaire Robert Maxwell. Episodes of a life well spent taking wholeheartedly all the possible professional and personal challenges.
My feeling was that the book was pending between a story based on life facts - which is a good approach, as maybe for many mostly of younger age, the interesting past of Tommy Lapid wasn't always obvious - or a story built around ideas and life philosophy - an approach requesting in-depth elaboration. From the last point of view, I think that many of the political controversies he created, especially in relation with the religious mainstream were diplomatically muzzled by the more experienced sabra politician of a son.
All the observations being made, this book is worth reading it if interested in some historical insights into the recent genesis of Israeli politics and media history. There are echoed from a different time and moral age, a reminder that times are always changing and it is good that way too.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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