Customer Reviews

The International Student Bible For Catholics Where Straight Answers Are Standard Procedure

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a Catholic religious education teacher for high schoolers. I find this particular Bible to be a GREAT inexpensive Bible to give to junior high school, high school, and college-aged Catholic kids because not only is it an NAB (New American Bible, which means that it has very helpful footnotes, is a very accurate translation, gives great summaries and background info for each book of the Bible, and has the impramateur) but it also has a Q&A section at the front that is written in a style that teens will definitely be able to relate to and answers questions that will certainly come up for them at some point about the what and why of basic Catholic beliefs, dealing with depression, answers about premarital sex & chastity, abortion, drug & alcohol use, what Catholics believe about the Pope and why, what Catholics believe about Mary & the Saints and why, etc. I'm giving one of these to each of the graduating seniors in my class this year (I wish I could afford to give one to each kid in my class -- not just the seniors!) I'm also going to give it to three nieces who are graduating this year. I thought about giving them classier-looking fake-leather-type Bibles with their name imprinted on the front, but I think that this Bible will be much more useful to them in the long run because of the great Q&A section (about 100 pages or so) in the front; and even though I doubt that any one of "my" kids would pick up a Bible and read it now (they pretty much come to R.E. classes grudgingly and disagree with much of what the Church teaches about morality), I think that there will come a time when they WILL pick it up and browse through it, or look for specific answes in it. This Bible is an answer to my prayers to find just the right graduation gifts for these kids! (I had just about decided on "Did Adam & Eve Have Bellybuttons?" -- which would have been a great choice, too, although I really wanted to give them a Bible -- before I found this Bible.

If you attend a Catholic church in the US, you're already familiar with this translation.

I'm not a Bible scholar, so I can't speak to the quality of the translation. I find it readable; when I read some translations..., I find myself wondering, "What is really being said here? What's it say in the Greek or Hebrew?" The language in the New American seems less ambiguous to me, although that just could be because I'm used to hearing it in church. I haven't used the notes, so I can't say anything about those.

Given that I can't review the content, let me say of this edition, the book itself is comfortable; slightly smaller than a typical (not mass market) paperback, thin enough to grip in the palm of your hand, sturdy, and light, it's easy to *use*. You don't have to be sitting at a desk to read this Bible. The paper seem a little grainy, not pure white, but the type is clean and the ink doesn't smudge. And I think the paper, while thin, is sturdier than the bright white onion-skin in so many other Bibles. My only gripe would be that the margins are so small you can't just hold the book and read the middle column; you really have to stretch the binding to get at the words on the inside columns.

Overall, a nice edition; it's portable, fits easily in your backpack, and is easy to handle.

Easy to understand and very easy to read. This was my first Bible and I have since gone on to love reading all versions because of my strong base I received from this Bible.

This Bible's unique section of questions and answers has helped us with our youth group. We are able to share Biblical teachings with our students in an approachable way for young people.

This bible brought helped guide me in my endeavor to engage myself in my religion. It was easier to read and understand than some of the other versions that I have read.