Barabbas | 
pickPontius Pilate offered the people a choice (to keep his own hands clean): The Messiah or Barabbas. Pilate was sure no one wanted to free Barabbas, but he was wrong. No one talks about how this substitution affected Barabbas. What made him worth this 2nd chance? What if he just can‘t make himself believe? I love this short search for identity. Excellent read. 239/1,001 #1001Books December‘s #TBRTarot: author whose last name begins w/ “L”
pickI think this book would best be described as existentialism. It reminded me a lot of Camus‘ The Stranger. The fictional story revolves around Barabbas, the criminal who was released so Jesus could be crucified, and what happened to him after the crucifixion. It‘s a short novel (about 80 pages), translated from Swedish, and can easily be read in one sitting.
pickWhen the crowd chose Barabbas to be acquitted and Jesus to be crucified, the traditional narrative stops. What might have Barabbas done? How would he have felt to see a burgeoning faith emerging from the one who died in his place? Lagerkvist explores these themes with a humanist foundation. Compelling prose.
