Review of Best Loved Bible Stories

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Best Loved Bible Stories" by Gerald S Posner.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Gerald S. Posner retold a Bible story from an onlooker's point of view. The book peered into the array of thoughts that clouded the mind of this onlooker as events in the book of Exodus played out.

While some authors would decide to retell their own Bible story by removing or adding absurd scenes for a fantastic outlook, Gerald told a raw story. This time, he told it as an observer. He was more like an undercover reporter acting normal and irrelevant but paying attention to details and writing about his experiences the way they happened.

I like to call this story an informally written tale. It's informal because it doesn't follow the laid-out rules of narration. The book chose to do its own thing by including everything in its storytelling — the inner thoughts, side comments, and humor. The book uses a freestyle technique. There's a difference between reading a story and feeling the story being told. I can feel the story while reading because Gerald simplifies it.

The book has tints of humor. The nicknames the author gives Bible characters seem like what we will call them in this time than about five hundred years ago. For example, "Old P" was used for Pharaoh and "Hebs" for Hebrews.

It was astonishing reading a Bible story from an onlooker's point of view. The Bible didn't go into detail with describing some extraordinary events. However, this book created a picture of what could have gone on in the minds of the "People of Israel." The most powerful for me was when the "People of Israel" heard the voice of God for the first time. I have never felt that scripture for anything since I knew about it, but I did because of how Gerald S. Posner put it.

My issue with this work of art is basically on the punctuation. The use of commas is arguable because it differs with countries. However, in this book, commas are neglected in extremely long sentences. Here's an example on page 24: "On the 10th day, the people were to take a goat or lamb, tie it to their bed-posts and after 4 days slaughter it and smear its blood on the doorposts and lintels of their houses – I'll remind you, dear friends the sheep was one of the Egyptian gods - where they were to eat the lamb roasted... only roasted, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs." Extremely long sentences can be tedious to read. However, it becomes more tasking when there are no breaks. There is also the unnecessary use of ellipsis. I don't have any issues with ending a sentence with an ellipsis. However, when it occurs too many times, it becomes unbearable.

Best Loved Bible Stories was a fantastic read; I enjoyed every bit of it. However, I'd give it three out of four stars because of the non-punctuation of extremely long sentences and ellipsis issues. This book would be perfect for people who enjoy Bible stories with extra details.

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Best Loved Bible Stories
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[Gabriella1997]

I love reading Bible stories, would definitely like to add this to my book shelves, nice review.

[Leah Blackman Pitt]

I love reading Bible stories and would be eager to see the author's details as an observer of what took place in the book of Exodus. Like your review, thanks!