Speare, Elizabeth George. The Bronze Bow. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1961.
ISBN: 0-395-13719-5; $6.95 US; 45th Anniversary Paperback. AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS
Newbery Medal, 1962
Starred Review, School Library Journal: "A moving, vivid, and well-written picture of the spiritual vs. the material, vengeance vs. love."
Boston Herald: "The characters vividly real, the story gripping."
Booklist: "A dramatic, deeply felt narrative whose characters and message will long be remembered."
ANNOTATION:
David bar Jamin, a young Jewish rebel devoted to driving the Romans from Israel, finds his heart beginning to change when he meets Jesus of Nazareth.
BOOKTALK:
Burdened with the deaths of his parents at the hands of the Romans, and a sister who has gone insane with fright, David bar Jamin finds himself content living in the hills with a band of thieves. Food and money are plentiful if one has the guts to steal it. And don't forget to throw away your conscience while you are at it, because there is no room for thoughts of remorse when one is buildling an army to one day reclaim a lost country.
Yet, David's interest veers in another direction when he hears talk of a carpenter from Nazareth who gathers crowds of more than a hundred when he speaks. Could he be the one who is destined to save the Jewish people? But why is he preaching that one should love their neighbor? Only hate and blood can drive the Romans back to their country; not stupid feelings of respect and tolerance.
What was once a lust for vengeance becomes a tangled web of love and hope in David's heart that only he can unweave in order to save himself. Be prepared for another vital piece of history vividly portrayed by Elizabeth George Speare. Whether one is Jewish, Christian, or athiest, every reader will walk away with the desire to purge thoughts of hatred and revenge from their souls.
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