A review by lokiisreading
The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston

5.0

“I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in my search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.”

Although this quote is a from a letter Ms. Hurston wrote to her friend Countee Cullen. I feel like this could be a guiding principle for her latest work. The Life of Herod The Great follows a refreshed unapologetic take on Herod challenges the well-worn narratives of western society, peeling back layers of myth and bias to reveal a more complex, humanized portrait of a ruler history has often vilified.

I thought I would have a hard time with this one being more historical. But I really enjoyed Hurtson’s attention to detail and storytelling. Her ability to just step back and reexamine Herod’s life through the lens of a cultural and and historical perspective over the distortion from the religious and colonial aspects. I think this really demonstrated how much she wanted the truth to prevail. Although the manuscript was missing pieces due to how it was saved, I still think the work held its integrity. 

Much like in her other works, she refuses to settle for the “rattling wagon of wishful illusions,” instead opting to present Herod as a figure shaped by his time, his ambitions, the forces of empire that surrounded him, and an ally of Christ. 

Thank you Colored Pages Books and Amistad for the finished copy!