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Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
The Ox-Boy of Ur by Rose Shaw is a brilliantly researched and developed book for young adults. Set in the year of 2000 BCE, we find a thirteen-year-old boy who has just been sold to a slave trader to pay his father's debts. The young boy, Zim, is bewildered, afraid, and angry at his fate and, yet, he manages to understand the precarious position in which he has been placed. He befriends an old woman who struggles to make the long trek from the village of Uruk to the golden city of Ur. Along the way, Zim proves himself to be a resourceful boy who is able to make friendships and care for those even less fortunate than he. After reaching Ur, Zim is pleased that he is sold to a wealthy merchant who has a sense of fairness and compassion for his slaves. Zim's sole purpose is to earn enough wealth to buy his way to freedom. He also wishes to buy the freedom of the old woman, Mara.
The characters in this book are memorable and realistic people who will stay with the reader long after the words of the epic story are ended. Both Zim and Mara are beautifully portrayed but the expertise does not stop there. The slave owner is ahead of his time in his understanding of human nature. The merchants of the city are marvelous! The children of the wharf are simply wonderful in their willingness to accept their fate and yet to work for and hope for their own betterment. It has been many years since a "coming of age" story has so captivated me, both intellectually and emotionally. The Ox-Boy of Ur is a book for all young adults. Author Shaw skillfully brings a sense of love, responsibility, curiosity and compassion to an ancient story with a totally modern message.
