Product Description

This engaging prequel to Joseph Girzone’s bestselling series, which has sold more than 5 million books in the United States, describes Joshua’s early years and the first inklings of his destiny as a messenger of love in a troubled world.
Millions of readers around the world have followed the story of the gentle woodcarver and carpenter who was first introduced in 1983 in Joseph Girzone’s beloved parable, Joshua. In JOSHUA’S FAMILY, Girzone travels back in time, painting a captivating portrait of the mother and father who nurtured Joshua and of the friends and neighbors who viewed the unusually precocious child with an uneasy balance of wonder and skepticism. Joshua’s extraordinary nature and mysterious gifts come to light even as he participates in the ordinary routines of small-town life: his gentleness and loving spirit imbue his interactions with contemporaries and adults alike. As he grows from child to adolescent, Joshua gradually awakens to the knowledge that he has been placed on earth for a special reason. Leaving the comforts of family and a familiar world, he moves to the outskirts of a distant town, where he will begin to teach others how the powers of love, tolerance, and understanding can heal the divisions in the human family and bring everlasting peace to the world. This is the book so many have been waiting for, and its powerful message is a much-needed antidote to the difficulties in today’s world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #305962 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-15
• Released on: 2007-05-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This disappointing prequel to Girzone's bestseller Joshua imagines Christ's childhood in a contemporary setting. In the town of Sharon, a poor family moves into a ramshackle house. Joseph, the father, is a master carpenter; Miriam is the mother whose "whole life centered around her two men"; and Joshua is the kind, obedient 11-year-old son, wise beyond his years. Joshua realizes he is different from other boys when he turns water into wine, walks on water, heals an injured friend and mysteriously knows the best fishing spots. Girzone's characters ponder the sadness of war, the folly of taking God out of schools and rampant drug use among adolescents. These plot elements never catch fire, however. Repetitive phrases and contradictions vie with platitudes ("For people who have little, the simplest surprise fills their hearts with gladness") and ponderous observations ("That afternoon and evening was a time in their lives they would not soon forget"). Even readers who loved Joshua will be hard pressed to find this bland story worthwhile. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* The long-running Joshua enterprise might seem to have entered bankruptcy with oshua in a Troubled World (2004), Girzone's foray into the mess of the Middle East. Now he offers up a winning effort featuring Joshua--or Jesus--as a teenager. He is the wiser son of fumbling Joseph--a good man, an excellent carpenter, but a lost sheep--and gentle Meriam. He plays baseball, demonstrating the ultimate in team spirit; he cleverly solves conflicts; and, of course, he takes the part of the downtrodden. Girzone is as didactic as ever, but Joshua's Family is simple and affecting, even so, and ranks with the original 1983 fable in the series, Joshua.

John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Praise for Joseph F. Girzone“Girzone draws on the wisdom of the centuries, writing [with] humanity and spirit.” —Kirkus Reviews“Girzone’s empathy for the loneliness and insecurity of being human guides readers toward a more satisfying religious experience.” —Booklist“It’s the living presence in our souls that Girzone seeks to foster.” —National Catholic Register“Joseph Girzone focuses on the heart of the matter, the truth of the Gospel, and the revelations of the heart, and people relate to his words, respond to his wisdom, read his books, and beg for more.” —Catholic Times“Regardless of how hard or how easy you find the way to God, Girzone’s spirituality, based on good sense, and his confident, friendly writing will ensure that even if you are alone, you will not feel lonely.” —Schenectady Gazette“Girzone is an encourager who seeks to challenge others with the simple but powerful methods of positive thinking, prayer, and love for others.” —Free Press (Chattanooga)

Customer Reviews

Sweet story, poorly written, could benefit from use of an editor...
I loved the movie Joshua, and, having not yet read any of of the Joshua books, when I saw this one, I thought it would be a good place to start. I was very disappointed in the actual writing - as another reviewer wrote, very pedestrian, almost remedial. VERY repetitive. Numerous inconsistencies (is Joshua in 4th grade? 5th grade? A girl who is referred to as a teenager is later stated to be in 3rd grade; Joshua had never seen snow before but had lived near DC??). The timelines of the story setting don't match up - war broke out (which one? thought Gulf was because Oh, God is at the theater) but Joshua is learning the internet. There are even typos or poor use of grammar in the book (to for too, etc.). While I did enjoy the story and the underlying theme/message, the manner of speaking for the characters, ESPECIALLY the children, was hard to get past and awkward. The book was also too simplistic. The "bad guys" toward the end would NOT have survived those circumstances in reality. Sweet premise, extremely poor delivery. I am surprised that this book was professionally published and marketed.

Reassuring...
That's the main feeling I get/got out of reading these books. Girzone's writing has ALWAYS been stilted -- that's nothing new in this book. The children have ALWAYS talked like adults (especially in 'Joshua and The Children' - that's nothing new. Girzone has ALWAYS been very repetitive in his writing -- also nothing new.
I remember when I started reading the series that I'd hoped the next one would be written a little better/more professionally, but that never happened, in my opinion. BUT I kept reading them, all the way up to this one -- liking/enjoying some more than others, but one theme prevailed. After I finished each book, I immediately began missing Joshua. I really do, I miss him!
So... no, these aren't the best written-books, but they ARE filled with a character that makes you feel warm and comforted inside and continually re-ignites a tiny spark of hope -- and THAT's a good thing!

Joshua's Family: The Long Awaited Prequel to Joshua
Joshua's Family, Like all of Joseph Girzone's books left me with a great sense of peace, commpassion, and a love of God.