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The Teaberry Strangler Meet the author Laura Childs |
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici Meet the author C.W. Gortner |
Collusion Meet the author Stuart Neville |
An Amish Love Meet the author Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller & Kelly Long |
Lesley Hazleton
Dear Librarian, First things first: thanks for being here! It may be an odd thing for an author to say, but if I had my way, all books would be free. That's what libraries mean to me: the democratization of knowledge. So: JEZEBEL. Well, who was I to resist? The moment I asked who was the real woman behind the lurid image, I sensed that she had to be far more than we'd been led to believe. But even with my experience as a Middle East political reporter, I didn't suspect how much more. Yes, she was framed. And yes, I couldn't help but admire her -- a powerful, courageous woman who was thrown to the dogs, both literally and metaphorically. What I found -- in the Bible itself -- was a magnificent narrative of grand-opera proportions. The story features evil schemes and underhanded plots, war and treason, false gods and falser humans, and all with the fate of entire nations at stake. It pits the sophisticated Queen Jezebel against the stark prophet Elijah, pragmatism against divine dictates, tolerance against righteousness. It is, I realized, the foundation story of the unholy marriage of sex, politics, and religion. Where does this book belong, then? In biography or history or religion? All three, I'd say. But that's up to you. Check out www.jezebelbook.com for more, including reviews. And again, thank you for doing this wonderful job -- Lesley Hazleton
Jezebel / Lesley Hazleton / Doubleday / Hardcover; 272 pages
Price: $24.95 / ISBN: 978-0385516143 / Published: October, 2007 Lesley Hazleton is one of our featured authors this week. Click here to view her reader comments and feel free to use them in your newsletters. |