Books

Books Uncommon and Offbeat

Short Reviews of Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller, Miss Betsey, and The Sleepy Little Alphabet.

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller Gary Burge

Wheaton College’s Gary Burge is a master teacher. I know because he taught a series at our church, one of the best I’ve experienced in a lifetime of Sunday school lessons. The same qualities he displayed then—deep scholarly knowledge, humility, passion, wit, and clarity—are apparent in this book and its companion volume, The Bible and the Land. Superbly designed and illustrated as well as expertly written, they are accessible to new believers and to those curious about the roots of Christianity, but they also offer fresh insights to readers who have covered this ground many times before.

* * *

Miss Betsey: A Memoir of Marriage Eugene D. Genovese

This is the story of how a twice-divorced Marxist professor with working-class roots, one of the leading American historians of his generation, found happiness with a patrician young woman who became a superb scholar in her own right—and how the Hound of Heaven pursued them both and brought them into his family. We hear a lot of grim reports about marriage these days, and a lot of vapid cheerleading. This memoir is neither, and it brings good news. It would make a fine gift for a bookish young couple just starting a lifetime together, or an old pair looking back with gratitude.

* * *

The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town Judy Sierra and Melissa Sweet

Our Lord is Alpha and Omega, and alongside apologetics texts and biographies and commentaries we need alphabet books. This is the best one my wife and I have encountered in a long while. Judy Sierra’s rhyming text and Melissa Sweet’s delightfully zany letters (in colors so rich I can almost taste them) will quickly win a place of honor on your shelf of kids’ books. Warning: Be prepared to read it more than once every time you sit down with a child. (You’ll soon know the words by heart.) And then a sweet little voice will ask, “Again?”

Copyright © 2009 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Jesus, The Middle Eastern Storyteller, Miss Betsey, and The Sleepy Little Alphabet are available at ChristianBook.com, Amazon.com, and other book retailers.

Other Bookmarks and reviews are in our books section.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

The Case for Early Marriage

Cover Story

With Parents' Help

Cover Story

The Waiting Game

Cover Story

An Ocean of Sorrow

The Purpose-Driven Job Hunter

News

Career Counseling in Church

Review

CDs on The List

Why Churchless Christianity Doesn't Work

Three Gifts for Hard Times

Readers Write

Here We Are to Worship

Review

New Music: Two for the Soul

Review

Putting Worldview in Its Place

Feeding Hope Under a Rogue Regime

The Only 'Christian Nation'

Our Life with God

Editorial

Mega-mirror

My Top 5 Books on Loss

Review

Is Self-Deception Always Bad?

Reasoning Together

Restless, Reformed, and Single

News

Q & A: Robert Duncan

Power Pentecostalisms

News

What's in a Name?

Matter Matters

News

Friend or Foe?

News

Go Figure

We Need Health-Care Reform

News

School's Out Forever

News

Quotation Marks

News

One in the Spirit

News

News Briefs: August 01, 2009

News

Let It Snow

News

Passages

News

The Workers Are Few

News

Desert Deaths

View issue

Our Latest

The Black Women Missing from Our Pews

America’s most churched demographic is slipping from religious life. We must go after them.

The Still Small Voice in the Deer Stand

Since childhood, each hunting season out in God’s creation has healed wounds and deepened my faith.

Play Those Chocolate Sprinkles, Rend Collective!

The Irish band’s new album “FOLK!” proclaims joy after suffering.

News

Wall Street’s Most Famous Evangelical Sentenced in Unprecedented Fraud Case

Judge gives former billionaire Bill Hwang 18 years in prison for crimes that outweigh his “lifetime” of “charitable works.”

Public Theology Project

How a Dark Sense of Humor Can Save You from Cynicism

A bit of gallows humor can remind us that death does not have the final word.

News

Died: Rina Seixas, Iconic Surfer Pastor Who Faced Domestic Violence Charges

The Brazilian founder of Bola de Neve Church, which attracted celebrities and catalyzed 500 congregations on six continents, faced accusations from family members and a former colleague.

Review

The Quiet Faith Behind Little House on the Prairie

How a sincere but reserved Christianity influenced the life and literature of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

‘Bonhoeffer’ Bears Little Resemblance to Reality

The new biopic from Angel Studios twists the theologian’s life and thought to make a political point.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube