Overall rating and opinion of "I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation" by Val D. Greenwood

Use this forum to discuss the August 2019 Book of the month, "I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation: Old Testament Stories" by Val D. Greenwood.
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vermontelf
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation" by Val D. Greenwood

Post by vermontelf »

I rate this 3 out of 4. It we’ll written, well edited, and has great resources. I really like how it retells stories in more modern language to be accessible to the common reader. The book flows in a logical order of short stories, but the stories may be read individually. As a middle school humanities teacher I include religion in my teaching of culture (along with government, economics, art, etc) by using the myths and stories of religions. I can easily see many of these short stories as usable in the classroom.
However, I found many of the stories redundant about the weary travelers, and multiple battles. Even reading of the multiple covenants made, then forgotten or broken was repetitive, albeit important to the greater understanding of the Old Testament.
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Post by Brenda Creech »

I like the way Greenwood organized the Old Testament stories in chronological order. It makes the promises of God to the Israelite people clearer as the events come together in the order in which they happened. I also like the language style used; it is easy to understand yet still has the flavor of the language used in the Bible. This book makes a great study guide to the Old Testament without adding to or taking away from its meaning. I rated this book a 4 out of 4 stars and would recommend it to everyone who loves reading the Old Testament but has difficulty understanding it.
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Post by ENeal »

I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation is a great breakdown of the Old Testament, for both scholars and believers. I fall into the former category, being interested in it as a potential research tool rather than an easy-to-understand summary of sacred texts.
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Post by Acwoolet »

This book sounds very interesting, I like that the author writes it for today’s readers. I think that it would be beneficial for people who want to diver deeper into the Bible but have a hard time with the language of it. I look forward to reading it.
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Post by Nuel Ukah »

gali wrote: 01 Aug 2019, 00:30 This is a discussion topic for the August 2019 Book of the Month, I Will Make of Thee a Great Nation: Old Testament Stories by Val D. Greenwood.

What is your overall opinion of the book? What do you like most about it? What do you like least? Will you recommend the book to other people? Why or why not?

Please remember to add your actual rating using the book's page on: Bookshelves.
It's a wonderful read. I wish all Bible students and teachers would read this book. I like how the author broke down the word for easy comprehension. He briefly summarized the Old Testament in an entertaining way.

I'd rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.
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Post by essyallan7475 »

I love bible stories. They are very ispiring. They give us hope and help us overcome absticles
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Post by Niv123 »

I just read this book and I must say that I absolutely loved it! I don't know how appealing it would be to people who aren't interested in biblical stories but to those who are this is just what you need.
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Post by Eryngail »

Honestly, the book is really hard for me to keep interested in since mostly the bible is being referenced. I think that the book would be good to add to high school teaching programs and religion classes in college. I am relearning things that I had forgotten but it is dragged on and hard to stay focused on it. It does help me fall asleep though which isn't a horrible thing.
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Post by Monishka Sharma »

To be honest, i don't like reading religious stories much (mythology or not). So i won't suggest a book to anyone which i won't prefer myself.
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Post by Monishka Sharma »

For the rating, it is good to get 3 out of 4 stars and can be read to have a good timepass. And i might recommend this book to those who like religious books.
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Post by Wamakima »

To actually take Old Testament books and compile them in a chronological order in a way that everyone understands should be a lot of work. Val D. has done a commendable job. I read the book some time ago and the stories are short and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it.
But the path I’ve chosen has always been the right one, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. :)
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Jorge Leon Salazar
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Post by Jorge Leon Salazar »

I like biblical readings, this book shows a compilation of Old Testament stories where the author includes lesser-known stories that make it more interesting.
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Post by Kaitlyn Canedy »

I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars easily. The author used the stories in the Bible's Old Testament as a springboard to write her book, and it shows! I was able to understand and appreciate the Old Testament stories in a way that I was not able to before. I want to use this book to explain the stories of the Bible to the children at my church, because I feel that I will keep their attention longer when I teach them these stories.
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Post by Alison Alissa »

I rate the book I will thee Great nation by Greenwood three of out four stars because there is content I know nothing about,from the review by Tbunde5 the plot sounds interesting and I am very much looking forward to reading such a story to add my knowledge and understanding.
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Post by Thehorselover »

Since I love hearing/reading/comparing other people's opinions and viewpoints on Scripture, I enjoyed the stories and the way they were presented, for the most part.
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