Father Joseph F. Girzone's Joshua in the Holy Land, published by Collier, transports us to modern-day Israel where Jews, Moslems, and Christians are at each other's throats. Long festering enmities separate these people who are children of common ancestors.
Joshua, the sensitive pilgrim and woodcarver, walks into an Arab camp with a lost lamb in his arms. He impresses the powerful local sheik with his open spirit and good will. Everyone is astonished when Joshua heals the sheik's granddaughter after she is bitten by a deadly viper.
As Joshua wanders around in Jerusalem, old memories come to the fore. Meeting with Jews and all sorts of Christians, he emphasizes that it is time to set aside old hatreds and create a community of mutual love and understanding. At one of the gatherings of the newly formed "Children of Peace," a song is performed which says it all: "In God's Family There Are No Strangers."
Is it possible that Jews, Arabs, and Christians will ever create true peace in the Middle East? Girzone thinks so. He concludes his hopeful tale with the following thought: "A dream is often nothing more than reality shorn of cynicism. Dreams have in the past come true where goodwill and determination overcame the obstacles and cleared the way for a new reality."