I did remember it being really good, and that memory was totally accurate, though. Whew.
Daniel is an angry young Jewish man whose parents were killed by Roman soldiers when he was a boy. Now he's part of a renegade band of rebels who ostensibly fight the Romans, but mostly just steal stuff. He befriends a nice brother and sister from a good family, and through them, he encounters Jesus more than once, and also gets a real job, is able to start caring for his younger sister, and gradually realizes that armed rebellion against the Roman Empire is not going to fix his problems.
I almost feel like this is Ben-Hur for teens, because it has a lot of the same themes of letting go of anger and hatred, learning to forgive, and finding peace in the midst of trouble.
Particularly Good Bits:
"Can't you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy? Not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love" (p. 224).
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for violence, including descriptions of crucifixion.
This was my 36th book read for my fourth Classics Club list.
