In Victory on the Walls: A Story of Nehemiah by Frieda Clark Hyman (published 2005), 13-year-old Bani hesitantly joins his uncle, the cupbearer to the Persian king, on a journey back to Jerusalem to repair the walls of the Holy City. Bani has only known Susa, the Persian capital, but now he’s returning to the place of his birth, the place where had been orphaned. Bani’s journey is both physical and spiritual as he comes to terms with his own Jewish heritage and comes to love the Holy City of Jerusalem as his Uncle does.
Victory on the Walls is a satisfying retelling of the book of Nehemiah as well as an entertaining plot-driven story with a hint of peril. Bani, as the nephew of Nehemiah, gets to give an insightful perspective on the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls. After reading this middle grade novel, I have a better understanding of why Nehemiah’s mission to Jerusalem was so important for Jewish history. The author did a great job of writing a novel that felt authentic. It feels like she did extensive research to make the novel as accurate to the times as possible. She managed to do so, however, without the novel feeling like a research report.
