The Bronze Bow

The Bronze Bow is a historical novel by Elizabeth George Speare, published in 1961 and awarded the Newbery Medal in 1962. It is set in first-century Galilee under Roman occupation, and its main character is Daniel bar Jamin, a young Jew who has joined a band of rebels in the hills.

Daniel's father was crucified by Roman soldiers and his mother died soon afterwards, and he has organised his life around revenge since he was a boy. When he learns that his sister Leah is living alone and unwell, he comes down from the mountains to look after her, and the teacher he meets near Capernaum tells him that vengeance is a heavier thing to carry than he thinks.

Speare wrote the book for young readers and shows the occupation through the eyes of a village that has to live inside it, with the fighters in the hills as an alternative rather than an answer. Its question is whether hatred can be put down when the place you live has given you reasons to keep it.