The Rebel’s Niece (Significant Events in Ancient Jewish History)
Living with her husband, Jacob, and their two daughters in Galilee in 67 CE, Sarah cherishes her peaceful life—one that she deserves, having been saved from a massacre fifteen years before by her uncle Yochanan. But her world is upended once again when a Roman force arrives, demanding unconditional surrender of the town. Led by Yochanan, the family and their neighbors flee to Jerusalem. There, Yochanan becomes convinced that he has been chosen by God to lead a rebel force against the Romans—but Sarah has misgivings.
Told by Sarah, Jacob, and Yochanan, this is a compelling tale, and one that has sadly become quite timely. I did find the prose clunky at times–it was jarring, for instance, to hear a character use the very American, very Western term “ghost town.” Still, I came to care what happened to the characters, especially Sarah and Jacob, whose mutual affection and repartee relieved some of the grimness of the story. In the same vein, I appreciated Avish’s inclusion of Sarah, as he explains in his author’s note, to show “history as it happens to the non-decision makers.” He does a good job of it.
