When I Was a Soldier

This is the story of Valerie as she finishes her exams, breaks up with her boyfriend and then leaves to take up her national service with the Israeli army. Nothing has prepared her for the strict routines, gruelling marches, lack of sleep, poor food, absence of privacy or crushing of initiative. However, the book also depicts the undeniable excitements of the work, including working in a 'spying centre' near Jerusalem, listening in on the communications of the Jordanian pilots. This book offers a glimpse inside another world - of a world where a teenager can worry about what she wears, how much she's eating, whether her boyfriend will call, and at the same time living in a country that is effectively at war.