Summary:  The more things change, the more things stay the same.

In this unusual retelling of Homer's Iliad, the events of the Trojan War are juxtaposed against modern newspaper headlines. On the left-hand pages, Agamemnon and Menelaus lead the Greeks against the Trojans and the hero Achilles sulks in his tent; collages of newsprint and grainy photos reporting recent wars and political crises fill the facing pages. 

Beginning with the prophecy of Paris's birth-that he would bring destruction upon Troy-and his choice of Aphrodite as the fairest of the Greek gods, the gripping tale recounts the Spartan army's attempt to return Queen Helen to her husband, Menelaus.

History and myth entwine to recount deception, death, and slaughter muted slightly by asides telling the origin of dice (toys fashioned from sheep's knuckles) and the invention of the alphabet.

Stunning headlines and visuals, many in sepia tones, juxtapose ancient terror and modern violence, like the Greek hero Achilles dragging Hector of Troy's body around Troy's city walls with the abuse of an American soldier's body in Somalia in 1993. Another headline prompts readers to compare the eight-year siege of Troy with the massive hunt for Osama Bin Laden.

 
Book Details
Format: softcover
Condition :very good; small bend on upper corners.

Publisher: Scholastic

ISBN:0590067516