Sold into Egypt

Journeys into Human Being (The Genesis Trilogy, Book 3)

By: Madeleine L'Engle, Rachel Held Evans - Foreword

Narrated by: Pamela Almand

This classic work of spirituality from the author of A Wrinkle in Time offers life-transforming insights on the rich heritage of the Bible and shows how the characters of this ancient text are relevant for living the good life now.

Is Joseph - the deserted son of Jacob from the Old Testament - relevant in our modern age? For Madeleine L'Engle, the answer is a resounding yes; not solely because Joseph is an important historical character, but primarily because his experiences of disenfranchisement, tragedy, and profound betrayal resonate within our own society. These thoughtful meditations on obedience, prophecy, forgiveness, and compassion are masterfully woven to bridge gaps of belief, politics, education, and even faith. In this, L'Engle's third book of her Genesis Trilogy, the author draws on the death of her husband to provide comfort and inspiration to those who suffer grief, loneliness, and doubt.

Madeleine L'Engle possesses the same ambidextrous skill of storytelling as other literary giants, including C. S. Lewis and George MacDonald. Her fictional stories appeal to generations of listeners, and are equally embraced in both the secular and religious markets. But it is her ability in her nonfiction work to engage with the historical text of the book of Genesis through a dynamic unpacking of protagonists, antagonists, and matters of faith that establishes the Genesis Trilogy as a highly treasured collection of spiritual writings. The wisdom, gentleness, and insight of Sold into Egypt offers listeners practical advice on clinging to hope, even in the midst of loss and disappointment.

©1989 Crosswicks, Inc (P)2017 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

LOVE Madeleine L'Engle's books!

What made the experience of listening to Sold into Egypt the most enjoyable?

This book was like a fictional story and it was really beautifully done like a story with characters coming to life even though this was a non-fiction book. It must have helped her get through her hard times in life to write this, because it sure helped me to listen along with her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Each of Jacob's children was brought to life individually in story and each brought thoughts and ideas I have never thought about. She made each character human with flaws and fears that we all have and then she used them to study her own life and events. And the narrator even sounded a little bit like Madeleine L'Engle sounded like when she narrated some of her books, but easier to listen to.

What about Pamela Almand’s performance did you like?

It brought the story to life and you could feel everything the characters felt. Each one was a distinct personality.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I want to listen to all of L'Engle's non-fiction books now and I was never much interested before these came out. Now I'm hooked!

Takes you into the Joseph story

Would you listen to Sold into Egypt again? Why?

I learned a lot in this audiobook of part-musings, part-philosophy, part-Biblical, part-story analysis of Joseph's life. The author told this in the personal stories of each of Joseph's brother, his wife,and other characters in the Biblical story which made it a lot more personal than I've ever thought of it before. The reader brought all of these to life and told the stories from each individual perspective. Madeleine L'Engle's perspective colored the whole book and tied everything together with a lot of interesting musings, warm and humorous thoughts and interpretations that made each of them human.And hearing each person's point of view through the reader's voice gave them each a human-ness you don't get from just reading the Bible story.

Which scene was your favorite?

Potiphar's wife was almost humorous in her shock at Joseph's rejection and the reader really conveyed this well. And you could feel the anguish and shame of Ruben being the oldest. The book also showed the reasoning behind many of the old Biblical customs and culture.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Bible stories brought to life in the 21st century

Any additional comments?

I want to listen to the rest of this Genesis series from Madeleine L'Engle and Pamela Almand and hope that they are as good as Sold Into Egypt.