Shut Up, I’m Talking

Today’s edition of the Very Short List features Gregory Levey’s memoir Shut Up, I’m Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government.

Levey is a former speechwriter for the Israeli Mission to the United Nations. Writes VSL:

Levey got his speechwriting gig while applying for an internship. He was soon caught up in increasingly improbable scenarios: from firearms training with Radiohead’s tour manager to working Seinfeld references into Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s speeches.

Secretly run the world? If only. Once you read about the time Levey voted on a U.N. resolution without really knowing what it was, you’ll wonder how the Israelis manage to get anything done.

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