Chutzpah Heroes: Thirteen Stories About Underdogs with Wit and Courage

by William J Edgar, Susan Edgar (editor)

This book retells thirteen stories from the Bible about people who faced a sudden challenge and by a bold, quick wit and with God's help got success. Some were young (David the shepherd and Miriam the big sister), others old (Paul). Some were from Israel (King Saul the farmer), some were foreigners (Jael who lived in a tent). Boys and girls, men and women, strong and weak, all became heroes of faith and part of the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before us. All children should know their stories, and all adults should be able to tell them to children -- and to themselves. William J Edgar grew up in the Bronx, on a farm in the Catskill Mountains, and in the Philadelphia suburb of Upper Darby after his father died in 1953. He was graduated from nearby Swarthmore College in 1968. In 1980 he received a Ph.D. in history from the University of Pennsylvania after living with his wife Gretchen and children in Cyprus 1970-74 and in Athens, Greece 1978-79. He pastored the Broomall Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter) Church near Philadelphia for 34 years while also teaching high school mathematics in the West Chester public schools for 30 years. He then served as interim president of Geneva College. In retirement, he is writing books and helping take care of his 17 grandchildren. See williamedgar.org

68 pages, Paperback

Published June 29, 2024

Reviews

[David J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many Bible stories have more drama behind than is obvious at first glance. Can an underdog prosper when the odds are seemingly against him? Or, can boldness and wit, mixed with faith in God bring success?

Chutzpah Heroes takes the stories of seven women and six men in the Bible, and tells them in an engaging way in 2-4 short pages. It can be given to a child to read, be done as a read aloud, or really played up to the point where you become the storyteller, telling the story in your own way to your children or grandchildren. I know that the author did that successfully for many children, as it was his method of telling many Bible stories to the children of the congregation he pastored for over 30 years. Yes, he would “ham it up,” and the kids loved it.

And, when you are done with the book, you may be able to apply the techniques of the book to Bible characters the author did not handle. I can think of four immediately: Jonathan, Joab, Joseph, and Mary.

The book is not expensive. Full disclosure: the author self-published the book, and he gave me a free copy.

[Joseph Rizzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little book that is a retelling of several bible stories that especially display the chutzpah (courage) of these faithful men and women. It is a perfect book to read with your family, read to young children, or have them read it to you. I shared some of the stories this way with my kids. Each of the stories are just a few pages each, bite size, not too daunting to read through the whole book at one go or pick it up regularly and reading some of the favorites over and over.

[Stephen Mccollum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids enjoyed this read-aloud!