STAFF CHOICE – The Life of Herod the Great

Join the Story Line Books Book Club as we discuss The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston.

Best known for Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston spent years working on this ambitious retelling of the life of Herod the Great—the brilliant, ruthless, and deeply controversial king of Judea. Reimagining a figure most often remembered as a biblical villain, Hurston draws on history, religion, politics, and storytelling to create a more complicated portrait of a man navigating empire, ambition, loyalty, and power.

Published decades after Hurston’s death, The Life of Herod the Great also gives us the chance to talk about Hurston herself: the choices she made in interpreting the ancient world, the unfinished and posthumous nature of the work, and how our understanding of historical figures changes depending on who gets to tell their story.

Come ready for a lively conversation about power, legacy, historical memory, faith, and the complicated line between history and storytelling.

All are welcome—even if you haven’t finished the book!