NEW YORK, N.Y. – Just a few weeks before he died on Sept. 28, 2016, former Israeli President and Prime Minister Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a legendary member of Israel’s founding generation, finished writing his first and only memoir. The long-awaited book, No Room for Small Dreams: Courage, Imagination, and the Making of Modern Israel (Custom House Books/Harper Collins), will be published on Sept. 12 – just one day before the State of Israel commemorates Peres’ legacy with a memorial service in Jerusalem on September 13.

Praised by President Barack Obama as a “giant,” by President George W. Bush as “Israel’s biggest dreamer,” and President Bill Clinton as a figure who “inspired the world,” Peres writes in No Room for Small Dreams an account of the crucial turning points in Israeli history and imparts his leadership advice and guidance for future generations. The book spans decades and world-altering events, including the legendary ‘Raid on Entebbe,’ the Oslo Accords, the establishment of the Israel Defense Force, the launch of Israel’s nuclear program, and the rise of Israel’s unmatched entrepreneurial climate.

This book is a window into the hard-won lessons it will provide for generations to come. In Peres’ own words: “To the young people of the world, I hope that you will take to heart what David Ben-Gurion taught me. It was from him I learned that the vision of the future should shape the agenda for the present; that one can overcome obstacles by dint of faith; that there is nothing more responsible than to take risks today for the sake of tomorrow’s chance.”