The point of the book is that those who value reading and applying the Bible, which is mostly evangelical Christians, have missed much of what the Bible is about. They read smaller passages, or single verses, for devotional value. Or informational value. In doing so they miss that much of the Bible was communicated in the genre of story—single stories like Daniel’s three friends in the fire, or Jesus healing a blind man. They also miss that the whole Bible is a larger story: sometimes called a grand narrative or metanarrative. Schwabauer does an outstanding job making this case. He walks the reader through a definition and description of aspects of story such as theme, characterization, and plot. And more to the point, he shows how an understanding of story can change one’s reading, interpretation, and therefore application of the text. The book has an academic feel to it, at times a little dry, as if we’re reading manuscripts of his lectures at a university (and indeed he is a professor). But there are helpful illustrations scattered throughout: not just stories in the Bible but parallels to movies such as Jurassic Park, or children’s stories like Cinderella or Jack and the Beanstalk. It would’ve been interesting to hear how Schwabauer sees story in relation to other genres in the Bible like law, poetry, or the advice that Paul offers in his letters. And the conclusion, which included some practical recommendations, was too brief. But perhaps we can look forward to a “part 2” of this book in the coming years!