His A Perfect Peace is a semi-aUegorical account of kibbutz Ufe just before the Six-Day War. David Gross- man's Yellow Wind tells of one Israeli Jew's journey to the West Bank just prior to the intifada, while his Sleeping on a Wire explores the precarious predicament of IsraeU Arabs. For informative Palestinian accounts, check out The West Bank Story by Rafik Halabi, an Israeli Druze television reporter, and Fawaz Turki's autobiographi- cal The Disinherited. For a lighter note, pick up Ze'ev Chafetz's Heroes and Hus- tlers, Hard Hats and Holy Men, a hilarious satire of IsraeU society and poUtics. Contemporary Israeli Uterature is highly influenced by immigrants from vastly different cultures, tumultuous politics, and conflicts between individualism and nationalism. A cadre of young writers such as Etgar Keret and Gafi Amir highlight the disaffected and cynical outlook characteristic of the post-Zionist era. Israel's short but tumultuous history has inspired a number of historical works. They tend to idealize and dramatize a bit excessively, but offer an entertaining introduction to Israeli history. Consider trying Chaim Potok's Wanderings, James Michener's The Source, Leon Uris's Exodus, and Sabri Jiryis's The Arabs in Israel. For a more sober textbook history of the land, read Barbara Tuchman's Bible and Sword, which chronicles Palestine from the Bronze Age to the Balfour Declara- tion of 1917. The elegant works of Solomon Grayzel also give historical background. Serious academic types should pick up Nadav Safran's hefty Israel: The Embat- tled Ally or Conor Cruise O'Brien's Ughter The Siege. MUSIC. After WWI, Jews in Palestine assembled chamber groups, a symphony orchestra, an opera company, and a choral society. During the 1930s, with the rise of Nazism in Europe, Jewish musicians fled to Israel. This influx spurred the for- mation of several music groups. Today seasonal music activities from October to July are held in such varied settings as the historic Crusader Castle at Akko and the modern, 3000-seat Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv . Israeli popular music started emerging from its folk-chant origins in the late 1960s. Since the 1970s, Israel has been catching up with international music fashions; local bands momentarily Ungered on punk, reggae, heavy metal, grunge, and even rap. MTV now keeps Israeli youth abreast of the goings-on in London and NYC, and Israelis expect nothing less of their own local acts. Tel Aviv is the unequivocal hub of the cutting-edge music scene in Israel, though performances occur throughout the country. The most popular performers in Israel play music that's somewhere in between rock and a more mellow sound. Some native classics still on the performance cir- cuit are Shlomo Artzi, Yehudit Ravitz, Rami Klinestein, and Gidi Gov. Achinoam Nini blends American rock with Middle Eastern sounds, while David Broza also throws in Latin American influences.