Pearl Maiden is an excellent book to read
during your study of Ancient Rome. It tells the story of an
orphan Jewish girl who is a Christian. She is raised by her
mother's nurse in the ways of Christianity. As a young woman, she
has two men fall in love with her. One is a Jew and the other a
Roman soldier. I'm sure you can see the conflict that is set up
for the rest of the book.
What I really like about this book, as opposed to other historical
fiction about the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, is the Christian
viewpoint offered through the eyes of this young Jewish girl. It
really made me contemplate the life of Jews and Christians during this
time period. Although it doesn't spend much time describing the
gore and blood of the battles, I still had a strong sense of the
persecution of Christians at this time. The story continues past
the Temple, moving to Rome and the triumph given the winning general.
I highly recommend reading this book! I won't give any more
details as I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Your junior high
and older can read it alone, but you can read it aloud to the entire
family. Lots of room for good Socratic discussion :-)
Kerry
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