As Figs in Autumn: One Year in a Forever War

In the fall of 2010, newly minted American college graduate Bastomski volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces, an impulsive act especially since, although raised in a Jewish home, he understands only a little Hebrew. Additionally, he had never held a rifle before. This man vs. self account is debut author Bastomski’s maturation into a truer version of himself, “an agnostic who has decided to make it personal.” His induction and acculturation are conveyed in elegiacal passages that mourn armed combat in a land replete with both beauty and history. The title comes from the late Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai’s “A Man in His Life,” which reads in part, “He will die as figs die in autumn, shriveled and full of himself and sweet.” When readers finish this book, they may be left with the thought that Bastomski’s decision to leave the word “die” out of this work’s title signifies that this story is closer to the Hebrew word “dayenu,” which translates to sufficiency, or in this case, a sufficient life.