Joel and the Egyptian Cat: How Cats Came to Jerusalem
Ebook
In training to be a scribe like his father, thirteen-year-old Joel longs for a different life. He is an artist, but drawing is not allowed in Israel. Like King Solomon, Joel understands the languages of animals, but few believe in such a power or understand its value. How can he find a life that will allow him to be himself and still find a place in his world, ancient Jerusalem? Jerusalem: a city without cats--impossible? Yet such is the case. Wise King Solomon sits upon Israel's throne, and the temple of God crowns Mount Zion--but still, no cats! Then a passing caravan leaves behind it Ta-Muit, who determines that Joel will be its new master (if cats may be said to accept masters). Mischief quickly follows, ending with Joel standing before Solomon himself, awaiting the king's justice, not only for Ta-Muit, but for himself. But that's not the end of the adventure . . . Joel and the Egyptian Cat occurs three thousand years ago, but it tells a timeless tale of sons versus fathers, individuals against conformist societies, and young people at war with themselves as they grow into adulthood. Despite the conflicts he faces, Joel will succeed, but not without the help and understanding of his family, his king, and--that mischief maker Ta-Muit, the Egyptian cat.
“Rare is a work of literature so steeped in the biblical world.
Rarer still is a work that weds this knowledge to a story that is
lively, at moments whimsical, and often moving. Only a skilled
novelist with expertise in the Bible could pull off such a feat.
David Dudley is that artist.”
—Daniel Pioske, Georgia Southern University
“Set in ancient Jerusalem, this is a heartwarming tale of a boy
trying to figure out his future while attempting to convince his
father and grandfather that he must make his way in the world. With
the help of a precocious and wise cat, Joel (and his story) will
charm and intrigue readers. Neither saccharine nor cynical, the
novel has the right mix of historical detail and relevance to
perennial struggles adolescents face.”
—Caren Town, Georgia Southern University
“In this novel filled with biblical allusions and fantasy
imagination, Dudley weaves a tale of thrilling wonder that sweeps
the reader into a land of dreams where transformation and hope,
forgiveness and redemption are all interwoven. In this poignant
storytelling at its best, three generations embrace the goodness
and grace of each other . . . . It is a tale for
every parent and child.”
—Hemchand Gossai, Northern Virginia Community College
- Title: Joel and the Egyptian Cat: How Cats Came to Jerusalem
- Author: David L. Dudley
- Publisher: Resource Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666727999, 9781666733389, 1666727997, 1666733385
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666727999
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T19:56:30Z
David Dudley served as a minister in the Lutheran Church before
becoming a Professor of Literature at Georgia Southern University,
where he served on the faculty for thirty years. He retired in
2019. Dudley is the author of The Bicycle Man, Caleb’s Wars,
and Cy in Chains.