Thirteen Days in September: The Dramatic Story of the Struggle for Peace was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2014. Wright reconstructs day by day the Camp David summit of September 1978 — thirteen days during which Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin, and Anwar Sadat were isolated in the Maryland presidential retreat, negotiating what would become the Camp David Accords, the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab state.
Wright’s method combines the narrative momentum of a thriller (the negotiations nearly collapsed multiple times, with both Begin and Sadat attempting to leave) with deep historical context — tracing each leader’s personal history, religious formation, and political constraints. Carter is the true believer, driven by Christian faith and the conviction that peace is achievable through will. Begin is the former terrorist turned legalist, whose attachment to the occupied Sinai is theological as much as strategic. Sadat is the visionary gambler, willing to sacrifice everything for an agreement that his own people may not accept.
The book reveals how personal relationships — particularly the mutual hostility between Begin and Sadat, who could barely be in the same room — nearly destroyed the negotiations, and how Carter’s patience, stubbornness, and willingness to risk his presidency provided the pressure that held the process together.
The historical resonance is unavoidable: the Camp David Accords remain the only successful Israeli-Arab peace negotiation, and Wright’s account illuminates both why it succeeded (extraordinary circumstances, extraordinary people) and why it has never been replicated.
Collecting Thirteen Days in September
First edition (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2014): Cloth binding, dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition in dust jacket: $10–$20
- Signed first edition: $25–$50