The UnChristmas Story: The One Who Said No
Helps readers see Mary in a more human and heroic form
NEW BOOK EXPLORES SOME OF THE CHALLENGES AND DOUBTS THAT MARY FACED AS SHE STRUGGLED TO ACCEPT GOD'S OFFER
Helps readers see Mary in a more human and heroic form
2017-02-27
MAITLAND, FL—
Joseph A. Mussomeli’s new book, The
UnChristmas Story: The One Who Said No ($11.99, paperback, 9781498494885;
$5.99; eBook, 9781498494892) is part alternate history,
part moral fable, and part Christian philosophy. This book seeks to entertain
as it explores a crucial, but all too often overlooked aspect of the Christmas
story. This story, set in Judea
approximately 150 years before the birth of Jesus, seeks to explore some of the
challenges and doubts that probably beset Mary as she struggled to accept God’s
offer. While Judith, the heroine of this story, ultimately rejects God’s offer,
the fears and temptations she wrestles with are likely the same ones that Mary
confronted. She is made of real skin and
bone, with blood and not just grace flowing through her veins. Mary, like Judith, must have been someone
with deep fears and seductive temptations that she must have struggled to
overcome.
Mussomeli writes, “I have
spent the last 35 years serving the US government as a diplomat in a variety of
places, including several in the Middle East.
This short novel highlights in a world 2000 years ago the issues of
modern-day religious extremism, terrorism, and political intrigue. After reading this story about the mythical
Judith, the historical Mary becomes in our eyes both more human and more
heroic.”
Joseph Adamo Mussomeli is a
retired diplomat. He was the U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia from November
2010 to January 2015 and the Ambassador to the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia from
June 2005 to August 2008. As such, he received the 2008 Presidential Distinguished
Service Award for improving that bilateral relationship. He and his wife Sharon
have three children, Isaac, Alessia, and Thomas.
Xulon Press, a division of
Salem Media Group, is the world’s largest Christian self-publisher, with more
than 12,000 titles published to date. Retailers may order The UnChristmas Story: The One Who Said
No through Ingram Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors.
The book is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and
barnesandnoble.com.