KINGS OF THE JEWS: Exploring the Origins of the Jewish Nation - Softcover

Gelb, Norman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0595465684 ISBN 13: 9780595465682

Publisher: iUniverse, 2008

Synopsis

Do King David and King Solomon deserve the great esteem in which they are held? Why did Jeroboam and Rehoboam build rival Jewish kingdoms in what is now the state of Israel? Was the infamous King Herod all bad? What was Queen Alexandra Salome's contribution to women's welfare?Why was Queen Athaliah executed by the guards of the Holy Temple? And what of Ahab, Uzziah, John Hyrcanus and the other comparatively unknown.KINGS OF THE JEWS is the story of how a remarkably resilient people survived division, discord and conquest to forge a vibrant identity that has lasted to the present day.An accomplished writer, journalist and historian, Norman Gelb has written a fair minded, straightforward history of the kings of the Jews of ancient times that also serves to highlight the conflict-ridden Middle East of today. I cannot praise this book too highly. -Walter Abish, MacArthur FellowNorman Gelb is the author of several acclaimed books on a wide range of subjectsThe New York Times called Ike and Monty: Generals at War "highly readable brimming with fresh details and perceptions." The Wall Street Journal praised "the forceful narrative style" of Dunkirk: The Story of the First Step in the Defeat of Hitler.Of The Berlin Wall, the London Sunday Times said, "Every paragraph shouts, 'Read On!'" The respected journal History Today said, "Gelb sustains a powerful narrative thrust" in Desperate Venture, the story of a major World War Two military campaign.

About this title

From the Publisher

An accomplished writer, journalist, and historian, Norman Gelb has written a fair-minded history of the kings of the Jews of ancient times... I cannot praise this book too highly." -Walter Abish, MacArthur fellow and recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award

"Norman Gelb paints a vivid picture of Jewish life during the time of each monarch's reign... This riveting exploration is a testament to the remarkable resilience of the Jewish people as they survived and thrived despite divisions, discord, and conquest..."- International Journal of Jewish Education Research

From the Back Cover

How a resilient people survived division, conquest, and exile more than 2,000 years ago to forge a vibrant identity that has lasted to the present day. Kings of the Jews traces the evolution of the Jewish nation, forerunner of the modern state of Israel, through vivid accounts of the lives and times of the men and women who ruled it -- from Saul to Agrippa II -- in a Middle East even more turbulent than it is today.

Praise for Kings of the Jews:

"[Kings of the Jews] makes Jewish history ... approachable to the modern reader ... rich, epic, and certain to maintain interest." --Kirkus Review

"An accomplished writer, journalist, and historian, Norman Gelb has written a fair- minded history of the kings of the Jews of ancient times ... I cannot praise this book too highly." ---Walter Abish, MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the PEN/Faulkner Award

NORMAN GELB received his BA from Brooklyn College and completed post graduate work at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and the University of Vienna. He is the author of several books on critical moments in history and lives in London with his wife, artist Barbara Gelb.

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0595465684
• ISBN 13: 9780595465682
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 268