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

News

Died: Bill Pannell, Black Evangelical Who Raised the Issue of Racism

He wanted white believers to reckon with “cultural captivity,” but saw them become “more and more American and less and less Christian.”

The Bulletin

Stop. Look. Listen. | Voting Third Party

The Bulletin’s Stop. Look. Listen. miniseries, part one: Why Matt Martens is voting third party.

Where Ya From?

Winning with Justice with Maya Moore Irons

 Hear basketball legend Maya Moore Irons’s remarkable story of faith, love, and justice.

News

How Messianic Jews Are Serving Israelis Displaced by Hamas and Hezbollah

In Israel’s only communal village of believers in Jesus, three women reflect on loving their neighbors—and their enemies—in the midst of war.

My Friend, Bill Pannell

A reflection on the trailblazing Black theologian and his influence on American evangelicalism.

News

When the Elder Calls—From Outer Space

Two sick church members in their 90s got a pastoral “visit” from a friend—an astronaut stuck on the International Space Station.

What Are Parents For?

Scripture has a clear vision for parents as stewards of our children. It’s not an instruction manual for modern parenting spats.

Being Human

Trauma, Tenacity, and Trusting God with Beth Moore

The Bible teacher and author reflects on the Lord’s presence throughout her life.

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