Lew Wallace's powerful and poignant story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish princefrom Jerusalem living at the time of Jesus Christ, has been around for morethan a century, yet it continues to attract and inspire readers to this day.
Falsely accused of attempting to assassinate a Roman governor, Ben-Hur isenslaved and sentenced to work on a Roman galley, while his mother and sisterare imprisoned and their possessions and land confiscated. Luckily, he surviveswhen the ship is attacked by pirates, and comes home, determined to find hisfamily and intent on revenge on the Romans. While organizing a resistanceforce, he journeys to see John the Baptist. After he realizes that Jesus standsfor forgiveness rather than revenge, Ben-Hur becomes one of his followers anddevotes his life to the church after the crucifixion.
First published in 1880, Ben-Hur became a bestselling book uponpublication, and was adapted to the celebrated 1959 film of the same title,which won eleven Academy Awards. A true classic, this suspenseful and movingtale gives a glimpse of life at the turn of an era.
