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Audio Excerpts
Read by the Author
Take a few minutes to listen to four brief excerpts from MY BROTHER’S KEEPER that give some of the book’s flavor. Looking back 2,000 years and having the Scriptures, we know how things turned out. But imagine what Gospel events would have looked like as they unfolded before people at the time.
EXCERPT #1: Joachim, father of Mary, visits the home of Joseph with the priest Zacharias. They recount Mary’s experience as a servant in the temple, and prepare to ask a big favor…
EXCERPT #2: Mary tells Joseph how she had been visited by a messenger of God while Joseph was away obtaining materials for a construction project…
EXCERPT #3: James, now training to become a rabbi, speaks with a beautiful girl named Avigail, and they discover feelings each had never before experienced…
EXCERPT #4: Behind the scenes at Jesus’ trial before Pilate, James is defending his brother, as the high priest, Caiaphas, attempts to persuade the Roman prefect that Jesus is guilty of disrupting the peace…
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Winner of the 2018
Catholic Arts and Letters Award
Bill Kassel’s Novel about
the Family of Jesus
My Brother’s Keeper
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What if your brother was the most controversial figure in the history of the world and your job was to protect him?
That’s the challenge faced by Rabbi James of Jerusalem — whom the Bible identifies as “the brother of the Lord” — in MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, an inspired retelling of the Christian story by author Bill Kassel.
What can James do to fulfill a deathbed promise to his father, Joseph, and save Jesus, the Nazarene prophet who is stirring contention among the Jewish religious leadership and the Roman occupiers?
The only hope of keeping his brother from a gruesome death is James’ cordial relationship with the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who turns to him for guidance in matters of Jewish law and custom. Indeed, Pilate views James with the utmost respect, even seeing him as a possible successor to the corrupt high priest, Caiaphas.
Protecting Jesus becomes the consuming focus of James’ life as his brother runs afoul of the temple authorities, and Zealot rebels attempt to exploit his popularity — their goal to foment a revolution against the hated Romans. But can even such a widely admired man of honor and learning as James calm the fears of change stirred by Jesus and his movement? Who can counter the forces of politics, greed and corruption that loom over a First-Century Palestine ready to explode?
Inspired by writings handed down from the earliest days of Christianity, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER tracks the lives of individuals instantly recognizable as religious / cultural icons. But it presents new insights into who those people were, how they lived, and what was going on around them.
The book paints a rich portrait of James, youngest son of the widowed carpenter and builder, Joseph of Nazareth. It reveals how the teenage Mary is placed into Joseph’s care, and relates the perilous circumstances under which Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt with her newborn son to escape the murderous King Herod.
As the story unfolds, we follow James’ adventures through the intrigues of Jerusalem. We watch him train under the great sage, Hillel, to become a rabbi; play a key role in reform efforts within the Sanhedrin; and fall in love with the beautiful Avigail who shares his passion for knowledge and Jewish tradition.
Years later — now a famous scholar and counselor known as James the Just — James attempts to forge a link with Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, in anticipation of having to intercede for his brother. But controversy continues to build around the spiritual mission Jesus has launched. And despite James’ desperate struggle, the political maneuvering by religious and civil leaders puts intense pressure on Pilate, making Jesus’ crucifixion inevitable.
MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is an imaginative and riveting historical / religious novel in the tradition of such bible-based classics as Ben Hur, The Robe, and The Silver Chalice. It offers a sweeping vision of a nation at its tipping point — a proud and ancient people facing economic stress, political division, and the specter of radicalism and violence, conditions not unlike those of our own time. This is a sprawling tale with a fresh and compelling perspective on Jesus and his family that will make you reconsider the story that’s at the very heart of Western Civilization.
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Book Reviewers Praise
My Brother Keeper
Virginia Lieto, an author and inspirational speaker based in North Carolina, calls MY BROTHER’S KEEPER “a masterpiece worthy of your time.” And she offers these tantalizing tidbits that suggest why…
“What stance will James [Jesus’ stepbrother] take? Will he challenge Jesus on the interpretation of the Law? Or, will he put aside all he knows about the Law to save his brother? Will he hold fast to his Pharisee roots, or toss aside years of work in building relationships with the Sanhedrin and the priests?”
Read Virginia’s review at…
http://virginialieto.com/my-brothers-keeper-bill-kassel/#.Wbk389OGPvH
Writing in the online journal, Stubborn Things, religious educator Diane Osbourne commented about MY BROTHER’S KEEPER…
“One might expect that, since anyone who has read the Bible knows how that story ends, there would be little incentive to keep turning the pages. For this reader, at least, the book was hard to put down. It’s a tribute to the skill of the author that the characters are so believable and robust that one becomes emotionally involved with them.
Read Diane’s review at…
http://www.stubbornthings.org/book-review-my-brothers-keeper-by-bill-kassel/
Fr. Michael Orsi, a regular contributor to Homiletic & Pastoral Review, offers a strong endorsement of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, noting that it…
“achieves a contemporary plausibility, to which modern readers can relate, by emphasizing the human dimension of the story over its miraculous aspects. This is a highly engaging work of fiction that can be readily employed in religious education programs for both adults and teenagers….”
Read Fr. Michael’s review at…
http://www.hprweb.com/2016/09/early-fall-reading/
Boston-based author and book reviewer Kelly Thatcher observes that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER has…
“everything a good read should have. Suspense. Humor (and I’m talking about laugh-out-loud humor!). Tragedy. Sorrow. Joy. Education (you really learn stuff you didn’t know before). Even a bit of romance.”
Read Kelly’s review at…
http://pewlady.blogspot.com/2017/06/my-brothers-keeper-by-bill-kassel-hint.html
Deanna Klingel, a writer who doesn’t usually do book reviews, includes MY BROTHER’S KEEPER on her blog, insisting to her readers…
“Here’s a book you’ll be glad you’ve read; a book of substance, a book that will leave you wanting more.”
Read Deanna’s review at…
http://booksbydeanna.com/blog-selling-books/mini-blog4303378
Alex Szollo, a book blogger in Romania whose reviews appear on numerous international book sites has this to say about MY BROTHER’S KEEPER …
“The novel is a worthy addition to the shelf of any Christian fiction enthusiast, and a heartily recommended read for those who seek an intimate portrayal of the Holy Family. Ten stars out of five for a true masterpiece of Biblical fiction.”
Read Alex’s review at…
Writing for the online journal, American Catholic, author and journalist Dave Hartline describes how MY BROTHER’S KEEPER…
“brings to life the many thoughts that must have been racing through the minds of those who knew Jesus and his family as word spreads concerning his ministry and miracles …. What must have been the word on the street or village, and what must those who were close to Jesus and his family thought? Bill Kassel takes you there.”
Read Dave’s review at…
http://the-american-catholic.com/2016/04/24/a-review-of-bill-kassels-my-brothers-keeper/
Detroit-based writer Michael Lapham did a review for the Chaldean News which serves Michigan’s huge Eastern-Rite Catholic community, observing…
“While My Brother’s Keeper is fiction, Kassel…did not stray very far from scripture in writing this book, and believes Chaldeans will especially enjoy seeing their perspective on Christianity, which is often overlooked, represented with reverence.”
Check out his reflection at…
https://issuu.com/chaldeannews/docs/cn0319_0140