The Israeli intelligence services are one of the most secretive organizations on earth, which is ensured by a complex system of laws and regulations, strict military censorship, intimidation, interrogation and criminal prosecution of journalists and their sources, as well as the solidarity and loyalty of its personnel. Until Ronen Bergman undertook the investigative journalism that resulted in this monumental work, any attempts to look behind the scenes of the dramatic events in which Israel played a major role were sporadic at best. None of the thousands of interviews on which this book is based, given by people ranging from political leaders and intelligence chiefs to low-level operatives, was ever approved by Israel's military elite, and none of the thousands of documents that these people gave Bergman were allowed to be published. A huge amount of previously classified data is being published for the first time. The book was included on the New York Times bestseller list, as well as on the New York Times 10 Best Books list, named one of the best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review, BBC History Magazine, Mother Jones, Kirkus Reviews, and won the National Jewish Book Award. (History).