These marvelous stories! This volume is a woman's canon presented with scholarship and wit. I thoroughly enjoyed it. - Susan B. Thistlethwaite In his treatment of Judith, LaCocque reflects on the paradox that Judith - more 'woman-oriented' than (the conceivably female-authored) Susanna - was probably written by a man. He concludes that this deserves to be celebrated: 'The best advocates for a cause are those who are not self-serving.' LaCocque appears to plead his own cause here, as he celebrates the underrepresented but bold interventions of women on behalf of God, for Israel and the world. As literature and as individuals, Susanna, Judith, Esther, and Ruth accomplish a peripeteia that allows God to convict, convert, and save. - Christopher R. Seitz
