Set during the time of Christ,  the book is the story of a young Roman Jew named Uri and his
search for a place (anyplace) in a hard, hard world.  Making matters worse the deck is stacked
against Uri. He is physically weak, incredibly near sighted and can expect little help from his family.
So Uri decides to leave Rome and sets off for cosmopolitan Alexandria to try his luck. After a number
of menial jobs Uri becomes a well respected scholar.  A time of Christ pogrom forces Uri and a number
of other Jews (still alive)back to Rome.  It is there that Uri finds a lucrative but very dangerous position
as a political advisor.  He gets married, has a few children, becomes an artist and meets the Emperor. Of
course all of that doesn’t last long either.  Captivity  is an epic, expertly researched book of Jewish and
Roman History with enough twists and turns to qualify as a mystery.  It is an illuminating, shocking, thrilling,
bad and glad look at ancient culture.  At nearly 900 pages it is also not for the feint of heart.  By the way
during one his prison stays Uri shares a cell with a man named Jesus who is described as being bald and
a little chubby.