Do you think the title is suitable for the book?

Use this forum to discuss the August 2019 Book of the month, "I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation: Old Testament Stories" by Val D. Greenwood.
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T_stone
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Re: Do you think the title is suitable for the book?

Post by T_stone »

In my own opinion, the title is suitable for the book because most people familiar with the Bible know when this statement was said and its meaning.
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Post by LV2R »

I think that the title is OK because the rest of the Bible verse that the title is taken from says: "I will make you a great nation, and in you and in your seed shall all families of the earth be blessed." (Location 844)
This is a promise that the Old Testament weaves throughout all of the lineages of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the birth of Jesus Christ, which begins the New Testament.
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Post by Erin »

The title is quite suitable for the book given that the title is a quote from the relevant part of the Bible. However, the book’s purpose is to provide a more readable format for the Old Testament. For those who have had difficulty with the Bible or who have been reluctant to read the Bible, the title may not have meaning. Perhaps offer a subtitle to make the subject a bit more obvious for those potential readers?
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Post by ShailaSheshadri »

Looking at the word "Thee" in the title, I thought I Will Make Thee a Great Nation by Val D. Greenwood must be a religious book. However, I didn't understand the meaning of "Nation" in the title. I don't think the title suits with the theme unless the author has specific meaning to the title.
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Post by HeatherEi »

I don't think this title suits the book. When I first read the title, I thought it was going to be an inspirational book on how to create positive change in society based on biblical principles. After reading the preface, I realized that wasn't so. I realize that God setting Israel apart from the rest of the world is a major theme in the Old Testament. However, the title doesn't match the reason behind Val D. Greenwood's decision to write this book.
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Post by Samantha Simoneau »

I have only read the sample, but given the author's stated intention with the book, I think the title is very appropriate in context. There may be a problem, however, when the average person looking at the title doesn't necessarily know the context, and so they could misunderstand or be offended by the title. The author is just borrowing the quote from Genesis where God promises to make Abram/Abraham a great nation, which is basically the jumping-off point of most of the narrative of the Bible. Since the author is paraphrasing that narrative over the course of many rewritten Bible stories, I thought it was a good title. It may limit the interested audience if misunderstood, though, which is a shame, and that would be a good reason to possibly change it.
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Post by LyorBoone »

"I will make of thee a great nation" is a promise God made to Abraham in the Old Testament. This is likely why the title was selected and seems fitting under that context, wouldn't you agree? Abraham is similar to Adam in importance, because people started referring to God as the God of Abraham, as if he was the first individual to truly matter. I see no reason to be frightened of this title...
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Post by roblesashley_ »

I believe there will always be speculation, doubt, and many other forms of options.
There can't be any perfect title due to that other countries do have other titles for it. I wouldn't dwell too much on it. Everyone is going to believe what they wish!
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Post by dcw »

When I first read the title I thought this book was about politics or perhaps a notable historical leader. With my initial thought of politics, I chose not to read this book. I don't particularly like books based on that subject. It was only after I read someone's review that I realized this book is actually about the Old Testament in the Bible. I think the title could be interpreted in a few different ways because it is somewhat ambiguous.
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Post by homelight »

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Post by skindrukas »

The word "nation" kind of implies to me that there are more nations than one. And then the message in the title is that this nation is gonna be great if/when it follows the teachings. This idea, for me, is the opposite of how I understand God.
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Post by M_Filomon75 »

I was attracted to the book because of the title it uses. So yes I think it works we'll with the novel.
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Post by Smrithy »

ArriettyClock wrote: 01 Aug 2019, 09:47 I found the title an odd choice, seeing as the book is about promoting the teachings of the Old Testament in a new and modern way.
The title could be seen in two ways - firstly that by understanding the teachings in the book that people would make society better generally and hence create a great nation. However, it could also mean that only those undertaking the teachings of the Old Testament are able to create a great nation. This second version is a worrying thought, especially in current societies where religious conflict is still ripe in many countries.
This suggests to me that the title should have been thought over more and replaced with a more suitable title.
Do you think this title is suitable for the book?
Yes, I condone to your view. Taking the arguments into consideration, the title seems bit biased.
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Post by Only1Cola »

I immediately knew it was a biblical themed book. I agree that the use of old world language in the title goes against the intention of the book. The idea of the title is good, but maybe it could’ve just been modernized into ‘God’s Great Nation’. Just an idea.
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Post by Aubrey Lewis »

For me, I think the title could have been thought better as well. I didn't even realize that this book was going to be a modernized version of the Old Testament until I read it myself.
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