Book Review – Unafraid

I love to read, and have decided to sometimes review the books that I read on this blog. Recently I finished Unafraid by Francine Rivers. This is a fictional account of the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the past I have shied away from reading fictional accounts of Biblical characters, not wanting my reading of Scripture to be influenced by outside ideas. However, Rivers is very careful to accurately stick to the facts presented in Scripture. Often Scripture is silent about large portions of a person’s life (for example, very little is said about Jesus’s childhood), so during these times, Rivers uses the character traits presented in other portions of the text to tell what that portion of the character’s life might have been like. What I love about this is that she presents the characters in her books in such a real, identifiable way. Through her writing, I can relate to Mary as a mother and the struggles involved in parenting – when to hold tight and when to let go, etc. Also I appreciate that at the back of each of River’s books about a Biblical character, she includes the actual Bible portions dealing with that character on which her book is based. She has study questions encouraging the reader to evaluate their thinking about the character and story based on God’s Word. Unafraid is the fifth in a series of books highlighting the women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy. I have now finished all five. Each made me notice details in the Biblical account that I had previously overlooked, while also challenging me to trust in God more.