Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah (Living History Library) [Paperback]

Frieda Clark Hyman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2005 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Living History Library

Thirteen-year-old Bani, though born in Jerusalem, has lived from infancy with his uncle in beautiful Susa, the city of the Persian King Artaxerxes. Now, his Uncle Nehemiah wants to leave his position of high honor as Cupbearer to the King to return to Jerusalem, a city in ruins and beset by every kind of trouble! Nehemiah's request of the king, permission to return to help his own people, could so easily in an empire riddled with political intrigue be misconstrued as treasonous scheming. Bani himself is given an unexpected part to play, the outcome of which is to forever change his life. Seen through the eyes of Bani, this novel dramatizes a turning-point of history, in 445 BC, when through confrontation and daring risks Judaism was re-established in the Promised Land, and purified for her unfolding mission.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Bethlehem Books (May 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883937965
• ISBN-13: 978-1883937966
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 10, 2007

By 

D. Hodson "book lover" (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah (Living History Library) (Paperback)

I read this as a read aloud to my nine year old son and we both loved it! It puts you in the time of the reconstruction of the temple and we really felt like we were there. We had been studying Biblical history up to this point and this pulled it all together for us. There is plenty of action and drama to keep young kids' attention and it is great that is is written from a young boys perspective. My son kept begging me to keep reading, "just one more chapter" was often the plea so we read it in about three days. Some of my favorite parts were when Nehemiah stood up and defended, without excuse, why they were following God's call and why they would not be intimidated. Powerful stuff!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jerusalem rises again, March 23, 2008

By 

Florentius (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah (Living History Library) (Paperback)

Historical fiction retellings of Bible stories can be tricky propositions. It's no easy task for an author to create a new tale which weaves personages from salvation history in with fictional characters. Sometimes the results are highly unsatisfactory to the point where the original Scriptural passages are warped or wrongly interpreted. When done well, the new story can help elucidate the Scriptural passages and generate interest in them.

Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah by Frieda Clark Hyman is one of the latter variety. Mainly following the adventures of Bani, a fictional nephew of Nehemiah, the tale tells the story of how the Jewish people re-established themselves in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Captivity. It is based on the Biblical books 1 and 2 Ezra (Nehemiah) and the major events which occur in the story are drawn directly from Scripture.

On the whole, the story moves quickly and is well told. Nehemiah is presented as strong and focused, but at the same time compassionate and forgiving. The character of Bani is predominantly well drawn, although there are a few scenes where he appears too much like a petulant modern teen for my tastes. I found the writing a bit more simplistic than some of the other books in the genre. It can be easily read by a 10 year old, as the book is billed.

Victory on the Walls was interesting enough for me that a re-reading of the relevant Scriptural passages was warranted after I finished it. Hopefully the book will inspire others to do likewise.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not worth your time..., March 10, 2008

By 

C. Turner "Home School Mom of Many" (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah (Living History Library) (Paperback)

Covering the story of Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem to lead the effort in rebuilding the wall, Mrs. Hyman's rendition is fairly close to the Biblical narrative in its basic facts. Unfortunately, the plot revolving around the main fictional character, Bani, is simple and rather predictable; my junior-high students found it rather uninteresting. Additionally, the book has multiple grammatical errors that are quite distracting. We will not be using this book with future students.