Catholic Review of: Junia

Junia is a fantastic book about, as the subtitle says, the life and death of an early Christian girl. The book is set in the early years of Christianity, when the faith was still outlawed in Rome and the penalty, if one was discovered to be a Christian, was death. The title character, Junia, is a young Roman from a privileged family, whose father is trying to become consul of Rome. She is one of the most beautiful girls in Rome, and also one of the most intelligent - making her very sought-after by eligible men, and the envy of many girls her age. Her life seems set out before her, and it looks to be a comfortable, happy, and satisfied life - as good a life as anyone could want. But then one day, she gets tragic news which ends up throwing all her plans off-track, and changes her life drastically.

The end is obviously not a surprise, given the title of the novel - although it ends on a more hopeful note than one might expect - but the events that lead to that end are very compelling and, for me, made the book hard to put down. I can't speak to the specific historical accuracy of this story, but from what I know of the setting in which the book takes place, it seems to be at least a reasonable account of Rome in this time period. I thought it was a fascinating view into second-century Rome, and it very much made me appreciate the fact that I can freely live out my faith without fear of death. I have always known that in the first few centuries of Christianity, the Christians were heavily persecuted for their faith, and of course I've heard the stories of the saints and martyrs of this time period, but reading this story helped me to understand just how dangerous it was to be a Christian. While Junia is a fictional character, I'm sure her story is not unlike that of many real people at that time.

If you are looking for an engaging read about the lives of the early Christians - or even just a story that will keep you turning the pages! -  I highly recommend Junia. I couldn't get through the book without wondering multiple times what I would have done in her place - could I give up everything I have, particularly if I were living a very cushy and comfortable life, to join a religion outlawed by the state, especially knowing that it would quite possibly mean my death? Sometimes it's easy to forget what the early Christians went through, preserving and growing the faith in a culture that was virulently anti-Christian. Stories like these that put a human face to the suffering and hardship help make their sacrifices more real to us living in the 21st century.

Junia is a pretty easy read, and at 120 pages won't take you very long (especially if, like me, you find it hard to put down). There are obviously some more mature themes - methods of executing Christians is mentioned at one point, for example - but I think this book can be enjoyed by anyone from young teens to adults. And if you like this book, there are two others in the series that follow the characters introduced in Junia - Marcus and Grain of Wheat.

It has been a long time since I came across a novel I found as captivating as this, and I think many people would enjoy it (and want to read it again!).