Talking Donkeys and Wheels of Fire
J. Stephen Lang
 (Reviewer - Rev. Marie D. Jones)
2003 Warner Faith
ISBN: 0446690678

A collection of humorous & bizarre Bible stories that will amuse & amaze!

Associate Reviewer Rev. Marie D. Jones writes:

Just when you think you know everything there is to know about the Bible, a book comes along that makes you look at the Good Book in a whole new way! J. Stephen Lang's Talking Donkeys and Wheels of Fire is a collection of stories right out of the Bible that can only be described as truly bizarre!

Trivia expert & best-selling author Lang, who has written over 25 books, including The Complete Book of Bible Trivia, offers up some wild & wacky tales your Sunday School teacher probably never bothered to tell you about. The nearly 100 incidents described in this fun book include stories of an obese king who could have used Dr. Phil's new weight loss plan, a powerful ancient king that liked to eat grass, black ravens that kept Elijah from dying of starvation (the Blackbird Catering Service, anyone?), camels that own more gold jewelry than Liz Taylor, goofy Biblical mistranslations, people being transformed into scarecrows, and so much more.

Sounds more like a book of humorous fantasy, yet these stories come straight from the Bible itself, & will entertain and enlighten any reader, including those who only looked at the Bible as a serious religious tome!

J. Stephen Lang also offers a moral lesson at the end of each tale, where he can find one, but mostly he just writes in a simple, straight-forward style that makes this book a breeze to read.

I especially enjoyed the talking donkey story, CURSE THAT DONKEY, about Balaam & the ass that spoke to him after being struck three times by his owner simply because the beast could see an angel in the road that the human was not able to perceive. Talk about arrogance! Poor Balaam, what a comeuppance!

I also loved the chapter JONAH, THE RUNAWAY PROPHET, which chronicles a true-life account of a sailor named James Bartley who actually survived inside the belly of a whale, proving that Jonah's tale could have really happened!

One of the most fun aspects of Talking Donkeys and Wheels of Fire are the chapter titles, including such amusements as: THE DANIEL DIET, HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL, ZEKE AND THE EXTRATERRESTRIALS, NOT EXACTLY CUPID'S ARROW, & JESUS CURSING? Now with chapter titles like those, who could resist this delightful & insightful book? I also got a kick out of THE BIG WEDDING NIGHT SWITCHEROO, in which Jacob ends up marrying two sisters, Leah & Rachel, thanks to some sneaky deceit on the part of his Uncle.

J. Stephen Lang's Talking Donkeys and Wheels of Fire is a highly recommended book for all ages, & all faiths, & will introduce you to some of the most colorful characters you've ever met. & to think they were all right there in the Bible all along, waiting to be discovered. You will never look at the Bible the same again thanks to this truly weird & wonderful collection of stories.

More from J. Stephen J. Lang:
Big Book of American Trivia
The Complete Book of Presidential Trivia
What the Good Book Didn't Say : Popular Myths and Misconceptions About the Bible...& many more!
(11/09/03)

Rev. Marie D. Jones
2003©Marie D. Jones
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
Marie Jones is a New Thought minister, author of Looking For God In All The Wrong Places & a widely published writer of inspirational essays, gift books, short stories & magazine articles. She is also a screenwriter, & has produced a children's storybook video series for Gigglebug Farms Productions. she holds a Masters Degree in Metaphysical Studies & is a licensed pastoral counsellor.