The Gates of Zion by Bodie Thoene

Thoene, Bodie. The Gates of Zion.

Bethany House; 1986.

ISBN: 0871238705

Reader’s Annotation

In 1947, a young American photojournalist, Ellie Warne come to Jerusalem and gets caught up in a dangerous web of intrigue, even as thousands of misplaced Jews from all over Europe look for a place to call home.

Plot Summary

After World War II, thousands of displaced Jews across Europe had no place to call home.  Having endured the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, they looked toward Jerusalem.  Under the control of the British Mandate, Palestine was a powder keg of tension.  One young American woman, Ellie, is a photojournalist who recently arrived in Jerusalem to stay with her archeologist father.  When some Bedouins arrive one day at their house when Ellie’s father is out, they show her some scrolls they have found and want to sell to the doctor.  Ellie can’t make that decision, but she does photograph the scrolls.  She unwittingly just stepped into a web of conspiracy and intrigue that will threaten her life as “someone” tries to get those pictures.  Meanwhile, David, her American military pilot, sometimes boyfriend, comes to Jerusalem to pursue Ellie.  David claims to love Ellie, but she is torn between David and Moshe, a handsome Jewish archeologist who works with her father.  As the story goes on, the events connected with the scrolls become linked with the events surrounding the founding of the State of Israel. 

Critical Evaluation

Many people are unfamiliar with what happened after World War II and to all the Jews who survived the Holocaust.  Thoene’s remarkable talent for description brings the story alive so that the reader feels like an actual witness.  The Gates of Zion, which is book 1 in The Zion Chronicles, almost immediately captures the reader with the exciting intrigue around Ellie photographing the mysterious scrolls.  As the novel progresses, that is the main storyline.  However, the historical events and background themselves are just as compelling as the storyline. Descriptions of life under British Mandate are eye-opening, and they provide a little more understanding of current events in that region.  Told with an admittedly pro-Israel bent, The Zion Chronicles are an adventure in the purest historical fiction tradition.  A great follow-up read for The Zion Chronicles is Herman Wouk’s The Hope and The Glory.

Information about the Author

Bodie Thoene (pronounced “Tay-nee”) claims that she has always wanted to be a writer.  However, early in school it was discovered that she suffered from the learning disorder, dyslexia.  Thoene’s mother refused to take the diagnosis lying down, and instead retained a young teacher to work extensively with Thoene.  Born in Bakersfield, CA, Thoene was a political science/journalism major when she attended college in San Jose, CA.  She covered much of the unrest in the Bay Area during the turbulent Vietnam era for U.S. News and World Report.  After Bodie married Brock and settled in Waco, TX, where Bodie attended Baylor University, she kept writing.  Bodie describes how she had the opportunity to speak to John Wayne in 1978 about her interest in the event surrounding the rebirth of Israel, and that she’d someday like to write a novel about it.  He told her,  "That’s one you ought to do. It’s the story of the Jewish Alamo!"  For more information, go to Thoene Books. 

Genre

Adventure

Historical Fiction

Curriculum Tie-ins

History

Booktalk Ideas

1. Discuss how the Jewish people were treated by the British under the Mandate.  Do you think those laws were fair?
2. Moshe or David?
3. What did you learn about history that you had never heard before?

Reading level/Interest age

Adult Crossover

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

Relgion/Christian Fiction

Why I included this work

This series has a lot of little-known historical background describing what happened to the Jews after the Holocaust.  It also has an exciting plot of intrigue and danger, with a little romance thrown in!

ECPA Gold Medallion Award (Fiction,1987)

Great Quote from the Book:

"Hope" is knowing the truth and acting on it.”

A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

Rivers, Francine. A Voice in the Wind.

Tyndale; 1988,

ISBN: 0842377506.

Reader’s Annotation

The Roman army destroys Jerusalem and teenage Hadassah is captured and sent as slave to Rome, where she serves as a maid in the Valerian family, but how safe is a Christian slave in first-century Rome?

Plot Summary

When the Roman army swept in and destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., they killed indiscriminately.  Most of those who survived were taken as slaves to Rome—Hadassah was one.  Just a teenage girl, Hadassah had lost her whole family, and was now alone.  She had her faith, but as a Christian, she had to be very careful to guard her beliefs in a time when Christians were being fed to the lions in the arena.  When Hadassah reaches Rome, she is purchased as a maid for the daughter of the household—a pampered, rather spoiled girl named Julia.  Hadassah believes that it was now her duty to do her best serving her new family.  Loyal even to Julia, Hadassah’s kind nature, generous spirit, and beautiful voice quickly endeared her to them, despite her bedraggled appearance when she first arrived.  When Hadassah meets Marcus, however, she feels less serene, and he too feel the attraction for this slave girl.  Meanwhile, Julia grows more and more petulant and self-indulgent, and she falls into a thoroughly corrupted lifestyle.  After several disastrous marriages, she plunges into an affair with a German gladiator named Atretes.  Still loyal to Julia, Hadassah does her best to influence Julia.  When Marcus finally declares his feelings for Hadassah, even knowing that she is a Christian, Julia overhears.  When Hadassah tearfully informs Marcus that though she loves him, she won’t marry someone who doesn’t share her faith, Julia becomes enraged.  Marcus leaves in anger and disappointment, but Julia devises a way to punish that slave girl for daring to reject her brother.  You see, Julia also knows that Hadassah is a Christian…

Critical Evaluation

In A Voice in the Wind, which is part 1 of the Mark of the Lion triology, Francine Rivers brutally describes the setting of the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  Graphic descriptions show the destruction of the temple, men, women and child being cut down by the sword, and in one of the most chilling images in the book, a huge field with hundreds of crosses bearing people being crucified. Hadassah’s journey begins to reveal her character.  Already a shy person, she is now terrified to death, traumatized, and all alone.  As Hadassah begins her new life in Rome, Rivers’ research and attention to detail paint a picture of life in that city, and especially in an upper-class household.  The over-the-top indulgence of the upper-class citizens bears stark contrast to the harsh realities taking place all around them.  The scenes surrounding the arena—for both the gladiator fighting and those being executed for the amusement of the crowds—come alive in a horrifying way.  By the end of the book, though, Hadassah’s character bear little resemblance to the shy terrified girl—she is strong, confident and braver than imaginable.

About the Author

Long before her success as a writer of Christian fiction, Francine Rivers enjoyed great success as an established romance novelist.  She started out her career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she received a B.A. in English and journalism. Francine grew up in a Christian home, but did not truly establish a relationship with Christ until much later in life.  At that point she turned her efforts to writing Christian fiction, and has enjoyed a highly successful career in that genre.  A mother of three grown children, Francine and her husband Rick live in Northern California.  For more information, go to: Francine Rivers.com

Genre

Historical Fiction

Christian Fiction

Romance

Curriculum Tie-ins

World History

Religions

Book Talk Ideas

1. What parallels in our society today do you see with the Roman society?
2. Discuss Hadassah’s character—do you think she was a strong person?  Do you think she made the right choices?

Reading level/Interest age

Adult crossover (ages 16-Adult) 

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

Violence; Abortion; Christianity/religion

• Be ready with a copy of the library’s selection policy.
• Understand the history of challenges for this particular work.
• Be familiar with similar works in the collection.
• Refer to ALA’s Intellectual Freedom resources

Why I included this work

As a multiple-award winning author, Francine Rivers sets the bar at writing high-quality Christian Fiction.  The Mark of the Lion series vividly depicts life in the Roman Empire in the first century.

Although originally written for adults, this series is extremely popular with Christian teens, many of whom are drawn to the romance.

Great Quote from the Book:

"True beauty is rare, and seldom recognized by the one who possesses it."

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers

Rivers, Francine. The Last Sin Eater.

Tyndale House; 1998,

ISBN: 0842335706.

Reader’s Annotation

Because Cady did something horrible, the guilt is eating her alive, so she desperately looks for the one person she thinks can take burden away from her—the evil, mysterious, sin eater.

Plot Summary

Ten-year-old Cady Forbes has a terrible secret, and she desperately wants to be free from the guilt that haunts her.  When Cady’s grandmother dies, Cady and the other mourners stand with baited breath and their backs to the grave, waiting for the sin eater—the one person who would willingly take on the sins of the deceased, in order for them to rest in peace.  Despite being forbidden not to, Cady sneaks a peek at the Sin Eater, and from that moment on decides that he and only he can take her secret guilt away.  Along with 14-year-old Fagan, who has secrets of his own, Cady hunts for the Sin Eater.  But even when they close in on the sin eater,a mysterious outsider comes into their midst, a preaching strange things that bewilder and captivate Cady and Fagan.  They end up sharing what they learn with the sin eater himself  With the help of Fagan and the sin eater, Cady uncovers a secret in the community that far surpasses her own personal guilt.  But it’s the words of the stranger free Cady and the others in a way they never anticipated.

Critical Evaluation

The roots of this story come from a tradition that was common in the early nineteenth century in England, the lowlands of Scotland, and the Welsh border district.  The tradition came to America with some immigrants, and was practiced in remote areas of the Appalachian Mountains.  Rivers weaves an intriguing tale that has many dark twists and turns.  Cady's role as the catalyst for change in her small community as each person she talks to confesses worries, guilt and doubt of their own.

 

About the Author

Long before her success as a writer of Christian fiction, Francine Rivers enjoyed great success as an established romance novelist.  She started out her career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she received a B.A. in English and journalism. Francine grew up in a Christian home, but did not truly establish a relationship with Christ until much later in life.  At that point she turned her efforts to writing Christian fiction, and has enjoyed a highly successful career in that genre.  A mother of three grown children, Francine and her husband Rick live in Northern California.  For more information go to: http://francinerivers.com/

Genre

Historical Fiction

Curriculum Tie-ins

History

Booktalk  Ideas

1. Why do you think Fagan befriends Cady?
2. Do you think that Bledsoe should have “gotten on with her life”?
3. How do you feel about Cady’s mother and how she acts around Cady?

Reading level/Interest age

Young Adult

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

• Religion/Christianity
• Be ready with a copy of the library’s selection policy
• Be familiar with similar works in the collection
• Refer to site: http://www.christianbook.com/the-last-sin-eater/francine-rivers/9780842335713/pd/35714?item_code=WW&netp_id=106878&event=ESRCN&view=details

Why I included this work

This story felt almost gothic to me, and yet anyone can identify with Cady’s struggle guilt.

1999 Gold Medallion Award winner

http://www.christianbook.com/the-last-sin-eater/francine-rivers/9780842335713/pd/35714?item_code=WW&netp_id=106878&event=ESRCN&view=details

Dictionary of American Young Adult Fiction 1997-2001

Great Quotes from the Book:

Miz Elda: “Don’t matter though. No matter how deep the truth gets buried, it always comes to light.”

The Atonement Child

 Rivers, Francine. The Atonement Child.

Tyndale House; 1997, ISBN: 0842300414.

Reader’s Annotation

Dinah, a college student, faces gut-wrenching choices when she finds herself expectedly pregnant after a vicious attack, and the people she turns to for help each seems to have their own motives.

Plot Summary

As a freshman at a Christian college, Dynah has it all—a family who loves and supports her, a boyfriend on the fast track to success, and her faith in God. Then, in one random act of violence, and Dynah’s “perfect” life comes crashing down around her.  After being raped, Dynah find that the unthinkable has happened—she is pregnant.  All her beliefs about “choice” and “life” are put to the test, and the people she turns to for support, have agendas of their own.  The college administration, the boyfriend, her own parents who have secrets of their own, even Dynah’s grandmother all have a stake in what Dynah decides about her pregnancy.

But Dynah finds the strength to make the decision she needs to, without the added influence of so-called friends and family.

Critical Evaluation

Because Rivers excels at character development, you feel like you know Dynah Carey right from the start.  And even though you know it’s coming, when she is attacked, your heart breaks along with her as she suffers the indignities in the immediate aftermath, and the consequences that follow.  Rivers is even handed with the failings of those who should have “had Dynah’s back” as she struggles to sort out her options and all the implications.  The hypocrisy and self interest is maddening in light of what this girl faces, and yet in portraying the characters this way, Rivers succeeds at conveying the variety of reactions people have when something like a rape goes from being theoretical to actual.  Rivers' own biases do come through loud and clear, however, and I was disappointed with the stereotyped depiction of manager of the abortion clinic.  Overall, though, Rivers presented a fascinating snapshot showing how one pregnancy affects more than one woman.

About the Author

Long before her success as a writer of Christian fiction, Francine Rivers enjoyed great success as an established romance novelist.  She started out her career at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she received a B.A. in English and journalism. Francine grew up in a Christian home, but did not truly establish a relationship with Christ until much later in life.  At that point she turned her efforts to writing Christian fiction, and has enjoyed a highly successful career in that genre.  A mother of three grown children, Francine and her husband Rick live in Northern California.  For more information, go to: http://www.francinerivers.com/

Genre

Realistic Fiction/Issues

Christian Fiction

Curriculum Tie-ins

Social studies/Social issues

Book Talk Ideas

1. If Dynah turned to you for advice, what would you have told her and why?
2. What would be the best way to support someone who finds herself in a situation like Dynah’s?
3. Do you think that the abortion debate should be widened to include more discussion simply than “pro-choice” and “anti-abortion”?

Reading level/Interest age

Adult cross-over

Challenge Issues/Challenge Response Ideas

Rape; Abortion; Christianity/religion

• Present the library's selection policy
• Become familiar with this work and other similar works in the collection

Why I included this work

As a college student, the main character, Dinah, weighs her options in the wake of an unwanted pregnancy.  What I appreciated was the way that the author showed that while the woman is, of course, most directly impacted by an unwanted pregnancy, others are directly impacted as well.  The author’s treatment of abortion is remarkably complex.

 

Great Quote from the Book:

"Everyone wanted to be the best. Best student. Best servant. Best Christian. They got caught up in it, pressing and pushing until they forgot whom it was they were trying to please."