Part of life among Jews in the Hellenistic period was "...a propaganda war that took the form of religious and literary writings..." and the author explores ten narrative works, mindful of the political and cultural context. He examines Jonah mocking Isaiah, Mordecai and Esther, Daniel in the court of the gentile king, Ezra and Nehemiah lusting for Susanna, and Ruth returning to Zion--among other stories. A final chapter looks at the literary characteristics of these works. Chyutin obtained his PhD at the Technion Institute in Haifa and lives in Israel. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)