A book Review-" The Messiah" By Malsawmi Jacob

The Messiah is the story of the messenger of God who was born a Jew, lived and died a Jew but in whose name was born a new religion, Christianity. The Bible being the most read book in the world (3.9 billion copies sold over the last 50 years), the story of Christ is familiar to most people. Yet, there is a freshness in the simple narrative style of the author Malsawmy Jacob that makes it engrossing and informative- informative in terms of the little details which may not be known to the readers, of other faiths.

A unique aspect of the book is that, the original (Hebrew/ Aramaic)  Jewish names like Yeshua,Yosef and Mariam are used throughout instead of their anglicized forms. The story right from or rather prior to the birth of Yeshua till his death,burial and resurrection is told in an engaging manner. In fact, those who are quick readers would find it difficult to put this book down once started until the last word is read..I  however, chose to take breaks couple of times to savour and linger on the lovely narration that the author has conjured up for us, readers!

In the blurb to the book Prof L.Balagopal of EFL University has opined that the conversational, yet elegant style of Malsawmi "turns the reader into a listener,engrossed in a story told by a master story teller." One cannot agree with him more! The initial doubt and apprehensions of Yosef at the prospect of marrying a pregnant Mariam, the ardous journey of Yosef and Mariam to Bethlehem, Yeshua's defiance of the hypocritical priests are all dramatically brought alive before the readers.

As a teenager/ young man, I remember seeing short advertisements in newspapers as a "Thanks giving for blessings received" wherein the person refered to himself/herself as "Born again". I used to wonder what this meant. This little book (172 pages) clarified for me that you get born again when you give up the misdeeds of the past and start on  a clean slate with a resolve to live a spiritual life imbibing the teachings of the Messiah. Love and compassion is the underlying message and teaching of Yeshua that one gets to see throughout  the book. The fact is that all religions teach the right and noble values; the reinforcement of this core teaching in all religions is the need of the hour as people are increasingly becoming chauvinistic and intolerant of those having beliefs or ways different from their own.

The "Messiah" in view of its simple narration, would be a great book to initiate children to the life and teachings of Yeshua. It would also be an interesting, informative and insightful read for adults as well, particularly for those of other faiths. I had mentioned earlier about the use of Jewish names as a distinct feature of the book. Interestingly though, as an Indian, the author has employed the word "Guru" a number of times in the book. I was also happy and delighted to see its use, particularly in the initial stages. However, in the interest of maintaining the mood of the narration, perhaps the word "Messiah" itself, could have been used in some places.

In conclusion, one can confidently state that "Messiah" is a book that is worth not only  a read  but many rereads. So much so, one would do well to have it in his/her book shelf at home for reference and for lending to relatives and friends.


Information about the Author of the book: Malsawmi Jacob is a poet, short story writer, and novelist. She was a teacher of the English language by profession. She has written seven books, which include a novel, books of children’s stories, poetry and narrative nonfiction.

The Link for purchase of the book "Messiah"-   http://glsindia.com/product/the-messiah/