Liz Curtis Higgs interview will post October 1, 2016
In It’s Good to Be Queen (2015, Waterbrook Press), author and award-winning speaker Liz Curtis Higgs turns her attention to the Queen of Sheba.
This queen is not a major figure in the Bible or in any historical text. As a result, very little is known about her; her name cannot be determined, nor can her age, marital status, or other biographical information. Perhaps it is that lack of factual information that has caused more than a few authors and Hollywood scriptwriters to embellish her story, painting her as a temptress or even as a wife of Solomon.
Higgs does not fall into that trap, and rightfully so. Instead, she bases her discussion of the queen on 1 Kings 10:1-13, the only source of factual information about this mysterious and fascinating woman. Higgs mines these 13 verses to examine the life of the queen who is, according to the author, “the wise one [queen] . . . who traveled to Jerusalem to test the mind and heart” of King Solomon, and she uses that journey as the framework for this book.
Prefacing each chapter is a short fictional narrative written from the perspective of the Queen of Sheba. These accounts, which begin during the queen’s arduous journey across the Arabian Desert and draw to a close as she prepares to depart Israel and return home, draw in readers and allow them to experience the queen as real, living woman, not just a nameless, faceless, historical character. Lyrical and beautifully written, these fictional introductions are the thread that hold together this study.
From each of those 10 small pieces of the relatively larger story, Higgs draws one attribute such as boldness, honesty, or generosity; each of those 10 traits is the focus of one chapter. Using the Bible and historical fact gathered from reliable sources, the author clearly explains the customs and practices of the world in which the Queen of Sheba lived and how, given the context, each trait is exemplified in the queen. The author then provides her own personal experience and that of her “online friends” to share why and how that same trait can and should be cultivated by Christian women today.
The tone of each chapter is warm and engaging, and touches of humor are sprinkled throughout this character study which reads like a conversation with a dear friend. It is easy to see why Higgs, author of over 30 books, is beloved by countless women and her books popular for use both by individuals and small groups. To that end, she provides 2 study guides at the back of the book: the first contains 10 discussion questions for use after the book has been read in its entirety, and the other provides a chapter-by-chapter study guide with a more in-depth discussion of each chapter.
In It’s Good to Be Queen, beautifully-written fictional narratives and well-researched discussion are woven together to create an interesting character study of the Queen of Sheba. Fans of Liz Curtis Higgs will not be disappointed, and those who are new to her writing will no doubt find this book informative and intriguing.
Book Review by Patti Miinch: Patti Miinch, a widow and mother of two adult children, lives in Southeast Missouri. Her lifelong passion — as both a writer and a reader
— for the written word led her to pursue a career as an English professor. Her hobbies include watching college and professional sports, spending time with her family, knitting, spending time outdoors, and traveling.
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