Seraph­ic Press, a new Jew­ish pub­lish­er, launched aus­pi­cious­ly with this his­tor­i­cal adven­ture nov­el. It is set in the late 19th cen­tu­ry in the untamed Ari­zona Ter­ri­to­ry, where the native Apach­es, the U.S. Cav­al­ry, and assort­ed out­laws con­tend for con­trol. Ariel is the 12-year-old nar­ra­tor, telling the sto­ry of how his obser­vant Jew­ish fam­i­ly got there from Rus­sia, the peo­ple they met, and, most impor­tant­ly, how Judaism influ­enced the choic­es that they made. Ariel is a coura­geous and per­cep­tive nar­ra­tor and his rela­tion­ship with Lozen, the younger sis­ter of the Apache war­rior, Vic­to­rio, is a cen­tral part of the plot. Lozen and Vic­to­rio were real peo­ple, defend­ing their land against the incur­sions of the Unit­ed States Army, set­tlers, and out­laws. With­out roman­ti­ciz­ing the war-like Apache cul­ture, the author, through Ariel’s eyes, clear­ly con­sid­ers them heroes. So, too, is a well-known West­ern char­ac­ter, Doc Hol­l­i­day, who arranges for a minyan to be present for Ariel’s bar mitz­vah. Con­sid­er­able his­tor­i­cal research has gone into the book, as well as a sol­id knowl­edge of Judaism and a com­mit­ment to its life-affirm­ing val­ues. Read­ers from about 12 to 15 will find not only adven­ture, char­ac­ters with whom they can empathize, and a rich Amer­i­can his­tor­i­cal back­ground, but also a con­vinc­ing por­tray­al of Judaism as a liv­ing guide to action. High­ly recommended!