'When I was a Soldier' is a true story about the life of a French-born teenage girl, who joins the army for national service in Israel. After her important school exams are over and her boyfriend breaks up their romantic relationship, eighteen-year-old Valerie Zenatti must go to the base in Tel Aviv in order to complete her two-year service to her country and finally become a true, respectable young woman.

However, life as a soldier is a huge challenge and Valerie finds herself comparing it to the life she was experiencing as a teenager with no burdens. We gain great insight of the tasks and difficulties she must face - guarding, strict discipline, lack of food and sleep, and the stress from the sudden change in her life.

In this book, Adriana Hunter does an excellent job in translating this autobiography from its original French language to English. 'When I Was a Soldier' is a memoir that is easy to understand and it has a captivating plot as you join Valerie in her journey to become a young woman. ( )

Non Fiction
This is Valerie's story, as she finishes her exams, breaks up with her boyfriend and then leaves home to take up her national service with the Israeli army. It is a strange existence, with highly pressured teaching and exams, crushingly strict routines, lack of sleep and poor food. When Valerie returns home on leave, she is aware of how much she has changed in a short time, and how her friends' and family's perceptions of her are different too. ( )

The memoir of an Israeli girl thrust from her typical teenage life into compulsory military service, where she learns to adapt to the physical rigors and emotional challenges. ( )

memoir of time in the Israeli army from 18 to 20. ( )