The Thieves of Golgotha

I just finished this book about half an hour ago. I am still reeling from the experience. The book is written in such simple, straightforward language, and yet it touched me so deeply. More than once I had to put the book down because I was emotionally drained. I realize the book is a work of fiction, but I became so caught up in the characters that I found myself pitying them, hating them, etc. And even though Christ makes little more than a cameo appearance in the book, it is his interaction with the thieves that moved me the most. I highly recommend this book. Whether one is a Christian or not, I think it is a text that will inspire much thought. Again, I am overwhelmed.

I read this book at the suggestion of a friend, not expecting much more than a retelling of the classic story. What I got blew me away; the author, who I can't believe I've never heard of before (he has written other books that I _must_ read now), not only intellectually but emotionally connects the reader with the actuality--the reality of this historic event (the crucifixion of christ). I was moved beyond words. Even if you have no christian background, this novel will give you insights into christ and his effect on humankind that you can't get in any church. Simply incredible.

First, I want to agree with everything the previous reviewer has written. I can only add my 'ditto' and say that this book was special to me because it was not a book about religion, but reading it caused me to have a religious experience. It is too easy to study religion, but when one's emotional being is transported right back into what surely could have been Jesus' experience in his last hours, the reader emerges a different person. When one is able to hear the words through one's own eyes, cringe with the brutality, feel the scene so vividly (thanks to Lliteras' writing skills won through his several previous books) there is a new appreciation for what Jesus the Man endured. This inspired writing that deserves wider recognition. This is a book to get, to share with friends or for anyone for whom 'religion' has gone stale.

It's not on a "Best Seller" list and it hasn't been very long since its' release (March '98). It's a dramatic portrayal of the two criminals who were crucified alongside Jesus and it's told through the eyes of the criminals. It has given me a whole new meaning of the crucifixion through his brutal and historic insight of this subject. The first couple of pages start out in a shocking way (there is some bad language), and I was skeptical about it at first, but then I realized that he was describing the crudeness of that time period. These are criminals and their language would have been very much the way it's depicted. The book is so real that it's almost scary. It sure brought tears to my eyes during the torturous part of the book. I don't consider myself to be a religious person, but this book has given me a spiritual insight that has motivated me to examine this more closely.