Brueggemann is recognised as the world’s leading authority on the Old Testament and has written widely on it. In this book he examines twelve prayers of twelve different prophets, among them Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon and Jeremiah. Each prayer is introduced and put into its historical context and the prayer itself is analysed and commented upon. Brueggemann has much to say in the introduction on the idea and ideal of prayer. He sees prayer not only as an appeal to God but an admission of our own dependence, a denial of our own self-sufficiency and an antidote to our own pride and arrogance. All prayer is essentially petitionary and all prayer is heard and listened to by God. The God of these Israeli prayers is cast in Jewish terms and the prayers are different in form and meaning from those of Western Christianity. They are more urgent, often argumentative, demanding a dialogue response. This is a refreshing and original book, covering ground that is not generally familiar to Christian readers, and will encourage a fresh approach to prayer.