Aviva Halamish is Historian at the Open University of Israel, specializing in the history of the Jewish people and of Palestine in the twentieth century, focusing on Jewish immigration, the kibbutz, and historical biography. She has authored or edited over a dozen books. Halamish is a member of Israel's Council for Higher Education.

• Introduction Chapter 1: Reisha Chapter 2: Vienna Chapter 3: Bitaniyya Illit Chapter 4: Founding a Kibbutz Movement Chapter 5: A Wife and Helpmate Chapter 6: Ideological Collectivism Chapter 7: Facing the Catastrophe Chapter 8: Facing the Forces of Tomorrow Chapter 9: A Gaping Abyss Chapter 10: Against the Current Chapter 11: From Military Glory to Marking Time in the Opposition Chapter 12: Unrequited Love Chapter 13: In the Shadow of Big Brother Chapter 14: The Kibbutz during the Transition from Yishuv to State Chapter 15: For Zionism, for Socialism, for the Brotherhood of the Nations—and in That Order Chapter 16: Fractured Beliefs Chapter 17: The Rebellion of the Sons Chapter 18: A Dove with Folded Wings Chapter 19: Twilight Chapter 20: Epilogue Bibliography

“Aviva Halamish has produced a splendid biography of Meir Yaari, one of the Zionist movement’s most colorful and intriguing figures. Writing with profound erudition and empathy, Halamish reveals the mysteries of Yaari’s charisma, his intellectual and organizational strengths, and his all-too-human flaws. Halamish throws light on not only Yaari as an individual but also on the kibbutz movement that he founded and on Israeli history writ large.”