Random Reads offers Shofar readers only two selections this time, yet both document compelling stories of notable Jews who shaped history. We recommend both with high marks.

The Women Of Rothschild: Untold Story of the World’s Most Famous Dynasty

In this book, Natalie Livingstone reveals the role of women in shaping the legacy of the famous Rothschild dynasty, synonymous with wealth and power. The writer follows the women from the dawn of the 19th century to the early years of the 21st. As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Excluded from the family bank, they forged their own distinct dynasty and became influential hostesses and diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform, and trading on the stock exchange.

A State At Any Cost: The Life Of David Ben-Gurion

In this definitive biography, Israel’s leading journalist-historian Tom Segev cites previously unreleased archival material to give an original account of David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of the modern state of Israel. The result is a full and startling portrait of a man who sought a state “at any cost” — at times through risk-taking, violence and unpredictability, and at other times through compromise, moderation and reason. Segev’s Ben-Gurion is neither saint nor villain, but certainly one of the historically great leaders in modern Jewish history.