Customer Reviews

Song for Gilgamesh

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We used this book when we studied Ancient Civilizations in home school. It was a very good story for upper elementary and middle school ages. The story deals with a boy who had an unusual talent, writing poetry, and who found a way to serve his country using his talent. He sacrificed a lot, and endured persecution from time to time from the "bully" of the story. He also learned to write, even though few were allowed to learn this skill. This story is set parallel to episodes from the Epic of Gilgamesh, and it gives a good feel for life at that time.

This version of the Gilgamesh story is written for children as historical fiction. Told from the point of view of a young potter who learns to write and is commissioned by the queen to report back to her the events of a journey to the distant mountains, this story takes place in the city of Sumer which later became Babylon in what is now Iraq.

The plot is interesting and insiteful.