Samson's Walls [Kindle Edition]

Jud Nirenberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Samson embodies his people's anger and hopes and their God's promise. His own deepest desire goes against those of his God and society. The novel explores his struggle with this conflict and the dilemma posed to Delilah, the woman he loves.

Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 186 KB
• Print Length: 169 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Oak Tree Press (August 18, 2009)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002M3SISO
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,368 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Ultimate Betrayal, February 14, 2010

By 

Liz Stone (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samson's Walls (Paperback)

As a reader not well-versed in the biblical fiction genre except for
Anita Diamant's Red Tent, I found Samson's Walls by Jud Nirenberg to
be approachable, relatable and most important, interesting.

Over the years I've seen references to the ultimate betrayal to Samson
and Delilah in films, literature, and music. Until I read this novel,
I never understood the reference except that it was obviously a love
story gone wrong. Boy, if a betrayal could be measured, then this was
the monster of all betrayals. Nirenberg has researched carefully and
crafted a story based on these two biblical figures with little
available context to work with. This kind of attention to detail and
storytelling reminded me of Diamant's approach to Red Tent, giving
life to female biblical figures who were otherwise barely mentioned in
traditional biblical literature. Nirenberg has also created several
conflicts in the story that are universal: loneliness, desire to love
and be loved, and ambition. All themes came together in a man who was
blinded by love and his own ambition to lead one battle after another
and a woman who was determined to see the "most powerful" man killed
through seduction.

What made this novel approachable was the use of modern spoken
language which may have, on occasion, seemed out of balance and
context. However, the intention was to give us a sense of universal
emotions by using words that are relatable to us. In essence, I now
have a better understanding of the betrayal of Samson and Delilah when
I see modern text references to the storied couple.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Samson's Walls: Obstacles to Love and Trust, February 5, 2010

By 

Mindy Ohringer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Samson's Walls (Paperback)

"Samson's Walls" - a powerful tale of love, loss, deception, and religious fealty which rings true in the 21st Century. Jud Nirenberg has taken a bible story we think we know and transformed into a mirror within in which to examine how far and how little we have evolved as individuals and societies capable of building and sustaining love and trust.

At first, one may be lulled by the declarative style, plain, candid speech of the characters, and be persuaded that one is engaged with a mainstream/predictable work of historical fiction. However, as the reader learns more about the historical antecedents (Samson and his family of origin/paternity issues, the burden of being selected as a Nazarite) and maturation of Samson (his disappointing and ultimately tragic experiences with local Philistines, including his wife) during pre-Delilah life, an understanding of the loneliness, isolation, and deep sadness emerges. His legendary male strength co-exists with enormous male vulnerability. Indeed, one realizes this novel embodies a truly unique biblical re-telling - it is forcing us to reflect upon human socialization: how we become men and women, how we understand ourselves as having particularistic (ethnic, religious) and universal (citizens of the world) identities which influence the degree to which mutual affection and respect inform our conduct.

Another surprise is the characterization/voice of Delilah. Instead of being portrayed as a garden-variety siren/seductress and betrayer of Man, Mr. Nirenberg envisions her as the determined leader of her diverse, frontier village. Delilah is childless, a trader, fishmonger, living strategically outside the box, on her terms. She, too is given emotional complexity and depth - a vulnerable woman feeling her age, (Indeed, Mr. Niernberg has given her some slight wrinkles!) who, given that Canaan is a man's world, must simultaneously hide and deploy her many talents in the intereset of protecting her community and honored place within it she has built.

"Samson's Walls" resonated with me as a person conversant with loneliness and solitude, an independent yet entrapped woman, mother of a gifted child/young man, Reconstructionist Jew, and political outsider. I am truly impressed by how Mr. Nirenberg wrestled with the challenge of taking a misunderstood, underappreciated yet epic story of love gone bad and infused it with relevance. Samson seethes with passion, rage, desire, struggling with his limitations and, alas, unable to transcend them. One can look at this literary work as a humanist and feminist statement about what divides and may, potentially, unite us, in efforts to make our world just and loving.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars description, August 13, 2009

By 

Judson Nirenberg - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samson's Walls (Kindle Edition)

In a Canaan where Philistines and Hebrews vie for dominance, it is important to know one's place. Samson is isolated in his, trapped by unusual rules and expectations. He was promised to his parents by an angel, destined to grow into a great man and make his people strong.Raised with Philistines for playmates, he aches to be a part of their world. At marrying age, he chooses a Philistine wife and, when his new family denies him the acceptance he craves, he releases years of frustration and loneliness in blood.

Samson goes into hiding, seeking to make peace with his wife's people.Soon other young Hebrews join him with their own reasons for war. Even while longing for peace, he leads a growing army. He is trapped by his successes and grows in fame, wealth and power, taking enemy territory.As always, he is without close friends and alone.

With Delilah, the unlikely prostitute-queen of a village in no-man'sland, he tastes love. She is the opposite of the clannish divisions he hates, with unclear ethnic origins and leading a mixed community. They become intimate as Philistine spies gather around them. Samson and Delilah are both ensnared in his fight to fulfill his own heart's need despite his tribe's and religion's expectations.

"A word to the world, that we must believe and have faith in one another, to strive for equality...an old tale with new sense and forms...a beautiful book, a beautiful idea that brings great philosophical strength..."
Imam Gjuner Abdula, Amsterdam