Black & Bulletproof

An African-American Warrior in the Israeli Army

by Marcus Hardie

Standing at a checkpoint in Israel with his assault rifle pointed over the heads of Palestinian Arabs, Marcus Hardie reminds himself, I am the good guy. Hardie was born and raised by his grandmother in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Los Angeles, a black youth stuck in the urban ghetto. Black & Bulletproof: An African-American Warrior in the Israeli Army tells the intriguing story of one man’s journey from the terrors of “thug life” to a position of honor in the Israeli military.

Graduating from college and law school, Mark Hardie seemed destined for a future far from the violent surroundings of his childhood, an upbringing filled with urban gang warfare. He showed promise in California’s political scene, rising to an important position in the governor’s office. No one would have imagined, though, that he would soon become an elite anti-terror operative in one of the most violent places in the world: the Middle East.

After a family tragedy, he adopted the Jewish faith which inspired him to move to Israel. There he saw the country’s need for protection from its enemies, driving him to enlist in the army. This book retells his gripping story from his gang infested youth to becoming a member of the Sayeret Golani, an elite commando unit, where he served during the Second Intifada, Palestinian uprising.

Black & Bulletproof: An African-American Warrior in the Israeli Army is a raw, intensely personal and inspiring look at the story of a young American who travels halfway around the world to fight terrorism. It is a mesmerizing look at a heroic fighter trapped in a cycle of violence who transcends cultural boundaries. With the unique perspective of being an African-American Jew fighting in Israel, Hardie captures the imagination with a story of race, violence, courage and faith.

"Unique and riveting...hard to put down."
— Wisconsin Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review

*Recently mentioned in the Long Beach, CA Gazette, Pasadena Star-News, the Whittier Daily News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune and the Daily News Los Angeles

"...an eye-opening journey..."
— California Bookwatch, Midwest Book Review

Marcus Hardie was an anti-terror fighter in the Israel Defense Forces under the 7th Brigade of the Armored Division. He graduated from the University of California at Riverside and the University of California Hastings College of Law in San Francisco and soon became Special Assistant to Governor Pete Wilson of California. He then moved to Israel, where he served as an intern at the office of Ehud Olmert, the mayor of Jerusalem and future Prime Minister, before joining the Israeli Army. Marcus is also a graduate of Tulane University's Cardozo Legal Institute at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law. Mr. Hardie is currently an attorney who resides in Southern California.

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Nonfiction, 6 x 9, 320 pages
8 page photo insert
LC #2010925076, world rights
ISBN 13: 978-0-88282-346-1(hc), $24.95