{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260418T162306Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375713743?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"0375713743","authors":["Walter Russell Mead"],"book_id":"9780375713743","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/the-arc-of-a-covenant-0375713743","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780375713743.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","description":"A NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A groundbreaking work that overturns the conventional understanding of the Israeli-American relationship and, in doing so, explores how fundamental debates about American identity drive our country's foreign policy. “A sweeping and masterfully told history\"— The New York Times In this bold examination of the Israeli-American relationship, Walter Russell Mead demolishes the myths that both pro-Zionists and anti-Zionists have fostered over the years. He makes clear that Zionism has always been a divisive subject in the American Jewish community, and that American Christians have often been the most fervent supporters of a Jewish state, citing examples from the time of J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller to the present day. He spotlights the almost forgotten story of left-wing support for Zionism, arguing that Eleanor Roosevelt and liberal New Dealers had more influence on President Truman's Israel policy than the American Jewish community--and that Stalin's influence was more decisive than Truman's in Israel's struggle for independence. Mead shows how Israel's rise in the Middle East helped kindle both the modern evangelical movement and the Sunbelt coalition that carried Reagan into the White House. Highlighting the real sources of Israel's support across the American political spectrum, he debunks the legend of the so-called \"Israel lobby.\" And, he describes the aspects of American culture that make it hostile to anti-Semitism and warns about the danger to that tradition of tolerance as our current culture wars heat up. With original analysis and in lively prose, Mead illuminates the American-Israeli relationship, how it affects contemporary politics, and how it will influence the future of both that relationship and American life.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780375713743","publication_date":"20231003","publisher":"Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group","slug":"the-arc-of-a-covenant","subtitle":"The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People","title":"The Arc of a Covenant"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"HIS019000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Israel & Palestine History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL011000","confidence_band":"high","label":"International Relations","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL059000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Middle Eastern Politics","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}],"hint":[],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS019000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Israel & Palestine History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL011000","confidence_band":"high","label":"International Relations","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL059000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Middle Eastern Politics","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"Israel & Palestine History","score":1,"slug":"israel-palestine-history"},{"label":"International Relations","score":1,"slug":"international-relations"},{"label":"Middle Eastern Politics","score":1,"slug":"middle-eastern-politics"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy Israel & Palestine History","Good for fans of History","Good for readers who enjoy Israel & Palestine History and International Relations."],"related_lists":[{"intro":"As American opinion sours, the Knesset expands the death penalty, and strategic debates intensify, these books trace the domestic politics, security doctrines, and legal controversies driving Israel's trajectory and the world's response.","slug":"cultural-currents-israel-polarization-and-policy","title":"Inside The Knesset: Israeli Politics and Their Global Fallout","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/cultural-currents-israel-polarization-and-policy"}],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Amir Tibon","Little, Brown & Company"],"book_id":"9780316580960","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780316580960.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":14.9938,"title":"The Gates of Gaza","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780316580960"},{"authors":["Sandy Tolan"],"book_id":"9781596913431","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781596913431.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":14.8948,"title":"The Lemon Tree","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781596913431"},{"authors":["Dan Senor","Saul Singer"],"book_id":"9781982115760","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781982115760.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":12.8427,"title":"The Genius of Israel","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781982115760"},{"authors":["Michael Benson"],"book_id":"9780806541792","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780806541792.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":10.9229,"title":"Gangsters Vs. Nazis","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780806541792"},{"authors":["Edward Kritzler"],"book_id":"9780767919524","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780767919524.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":9.877,"title":"Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780767919524"},{"authors":["Bill Bryson"],"book_id":"9780767908184","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780767908184.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":9.5634,"title":"A Short History of Nearly Everything","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780767908184"},{"authors":["Jared Diamond Ph.D.","Jared Diamond"],"book_id":"9780393354324","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780393354324.jpg?v=20260418T162306Z%3A2026-04-19T10%3A16%3A55Z","score":9.5555,"title":"Guns, Germs, and Steel","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780393354324"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:history of israel"],"label":"History","score":0.9238,"slug":"history"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:historical nonfiction best sellers"],"label":"Historical","score":0.3003,"slug":"historical"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:best books"],"label":"Best","score":0.2854,"slug":"best"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:jewish gifts"],"label":"Jewish","score":0.0484,"slug":"jewish"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: History, Historical, Jewish.","Reading lane: Israel & Palestine History and International Relations.","Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":514,"goodreads_reviews_count":92,"quality_score":0.8997}}