Debut BOOK LAUNCH COMPLETE:

THANKS TO ALL WHO CAME OUT!

SCAVENGER HUNT CHALLENGE:

FOR THOSE WHO BOUGHT A PHYSICAL BOOK AT THE LAUNCH, LOOK FOR A HAND-WRITTEN QUOTATION MARK THAT I HAD TO ADD SOMEWHERE BECAUSE THE PRINTER OMITTED IT. IF YOU ARE THE FIRST READER TO EMAIL ME THE PAGE NUMBER AND THE WORD THAT COMES BEFORE THE QUOTATION MARK, I WILL SEND YOU A FREE HARDCOVER BOOK & A HAND-MADE GIFT. ONLY ONE READER CAN WIN.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, READ!

BROTHERS’ WAR

BY DAVID PAUL EMMA

Conflict, love, adventure, loss, politics, mystery: that is Brothers’ War from beginning to end. Nathan bar Opal, a young Jerusalemite, is pressed into war against mighty Rome, but his own brother proves as great a foe as the empire. Can Nathan win against either combatant? Will he find the truth he seeks as he traverses the ancient Mediterranean from Jerusalem to Sicily to Rome? Will he ever find peace?

Brothers’ War dives deep into the human condition: the struggle to survive, the quest to know, and the hope to find freedom, companionship, respite, and faith in a fallen and turbulent world. It dives also into the complexities of the classical age: the unbeatable hegemony of Rome, the cultural interplay of Jews, Christians, Greeks, Romans, and Sicels, as well as the tug of war between the spiritual and earthly, the wealthy and enslaved, the traditional and radical, and the daily insecurity of living at the transition of one epoch to another.

The writing of Brothers’ War spanned 46-years as Nathan and the author David Paul Emma, as well as the worlds around them both, grew and morphed toward adulthood. The authenticity of the characters and the dialogues between them reflect the real-time nature of the author’s experiences as he matured. They also reflect a lifetime of passion dedicated to the telling of this story, and the history behind it, which long waited to be told.

“SO MANY books are predictable, but this book gave nothing away. i learnED from beginning to end.”

— Rebecca Franks, Publisher

“i can’t do anything else right now, HONEY, THIS CHAPTER HAS me on tenTerhooks!”

— Dr. Evelyn Emma, Professor of English, and wife of the author

“this book is a gem. it should be made into a movie!”

— Ron Reinhart, fan

Photo by Brian Kievning

About

david paul emma

David Paul Emma grew up in the dense ethnic mix of northern New Jersey in the 1970s, a crucible of cultures, faiths, and politics which led him to study history and begin writing Brothers’ War at sixteen. After working in advertising and construction, traveling the world, studying Chinese, Hebrew and Sicilian, and joining an archaeological dig in Galilee, the author now lives with his family near his hometown, teaching history. His first published work, an article titled Enna, The Landlocked Province, was featured in the periodical Sicilia Parra in the Fall of 2020. He is currently working on a second historical novel, set in a fictitious continent.

David Paul Emma, author

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Enna, Sicily, where Nathan lived for several years in Brothers' War. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Enna, Sicily, where Nathan lived for several years in Brothers' War. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Amphitheater, Syracuse. A fine example of a Greco-Roman theater from the period when Nathan lived in Sicily. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Amphitheater, Syracuse. A fine example of a Greco-Roman theater from the period when Nathan lived in Sicily. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Mt. Etna, Sicily, which Nathan could see from Enna when he lived there. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Mt. Etna, Sicily, which Nathan could see from Enna when he lived there. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Necropolis, Enna, Sicily, begun with the burial of the Skeleton Lady in Brothers' War. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Necropolis, Enna, Sicily, begun with the burial of the Skeleton Lady in Brothers' War. Photo by P. Maximilian Emma.

Mount of Olives, which Nathan could see to the east while growing up in Jerusalem. Photo by author.

Mount of Olives, which Nathan could see to the east while growing up in Jerusalem. Photo by author.

Arch of Titus, built when Nathan lived in Rome. It depicts the plundering of the Temple of Jerusalem under the archway. Photo by author.

Arch of Titus, built when Nathan lived in Rome. It depicts the plundering of the Temple of Jerusalem under the archway. Photo by author.

A portion of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Only the massive Herodian stones as seen here and the Wailing Wall survived the Roman onslaught of Nathan's day. Photo by author.

A portion of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Only the massive Herodian stones as seen here and the Wailing Wall survived the Roman onslaught of Nathan's day. Photo by author.

Inscription from Caesarea with the name of Pontius Pilate, the Judaean procurator who tried Jesus, and before whom Nathan's father and grandfather pled for justice in Brothers' War. Photo by author.

Inscription from Caesarea with the name of Pontius Pilate, the Judaean procurator who tried Jesus, and before whom Nathan's father and grandfather pled for justice in Brothers' War. Photo by author.

Stairway to the Temple Mount, uncovered during the 1960s. Nathan, and earlier, Jesus, would have climbed these very stairs during their lifetimes. Photo by author.

Stairway to the Temple Mount, uncovered during the 1960s. Nathan, and earlier, Jesus, would have climbed these very stairs during their lifetimes. Photo by author.