KINGS OF THE JEWS: Exploring the Origins of the Jewish Nation

Do King David and King Solomon deserve the great esteem in which they are held? Why did Jeroboam and Rehoboam build rival Jewish kingdoms in what is now the state of Israel? Was the infamous King Herod all bad? What was Queen Alexandra Salome's contribution to women's welfare?Why was Queen Athaliah executed by the guards of the Holy Temple? And what of Ahab, Uzziah, John Hyrcanus and the other comparatively unknown.KINGS OF THE JEWS is the story of how a remarkably resilient people survived division, discord and conquest to forge a vibrant identity that has lasted to the present day.An accomplished writer, journalist and historian, Norman Gelb has written a fair minded, straightforward history of the kings of the Jews of ancient times that also serves to highlight the conflict-ridden Middle East of today. I cannot praise this book too highly. -Walter Abish, MacArthur FellowNorman Gelb is the author of several acclaimed books on a wide range of subjectsThe New York Times called Ike and Monty: Generals at War "highly readable brimming with fresh details and perceptions." The Wall Street Journal praised "the forceful narrative style" of Dunkirk: The Story of the First Step in the Defeat of Hitler.Of The Berlin Wall, the London Sunday Times said, "Every paragraph shouts, 'Read On!'" The respected journal History Today said, "Gelb sustains a powerful narrative thrust" in Desperate Venture, the story of a major World War Two military campaign.