Original trade paperback  |  260 pp  |  ISBN 9781597190756

In the ancient Middle East a pious, wealthy young widow risks her life to save her town from a besieging army. Based on the apocryphal Book of Judith.
 

                          PRAISE for Judith

"The ancient story of Judith of Bethulia is given a powerful heartbeat in this imagining by Leslie Moïse....Moïse's writing is immediate and empathetic, her characters vividly drawn. Judith is an engrossing read that you will not want to put down."

                                                                                Anne Marie Jackson
                                                                    Literary translator & feminist author
                                                                                 London, England

"For anyone who has ever wondered about the mysterious figure of Judith,
this book provides a realistic and action-packed context for her heroic act....
She comes alive in this fast-moving account of a critical time of siege and sacrifice
that surmounts the centuries and speaks to readers today."

 Judith Jennings, Ph.D.
Historian & foundation director
Louisville, KY

"Many writings on the story of Judith have been appropriated by religious scholars,
secular groups, and artists through paintings, essays and theses....
Judith is a novel approach to this ancient story laid into a storytelling format
with modern language; it gives the lay person an opportunity
to make her or his own discoveries."

Mary Jo Dorsey, Ph.D.
Knowledge Manager,
National Institute for Newman Studies
Pittsburgh, PA

"As a history buff, I found Judith to be quite profound
in filling the blanks of possibilities regarding the unwritten details of turbulent lands,
relationships and societal structures, especially in terms of a woman's status.
Whether or not you are familiar with the story, Christian or non-Christian,
the human element of history is what defines this well-written story.
Judith's strength, intelligence and sense of responsibility is the crux that holds the reader
to the pages, just as these qualities held her people together in a time of need."

Sheri L. Wright
Pushcart Prize & Kentucky Poet Laureate nominee
author of The Feast of Erasure