Playing Jesus is the study of a young soldier's life and struggle after returning from service in the Iraqi War. He struggles to reconcile his long-held belief structure formed from growing in up in a military family with the reality of his combat experience.

"IN GIVENS' DEBUT NOVELLA, a conversation among friends leads to intense self-evaluation... The strong suit, though, is in the complexity of relationships: Chris and Josh's acerbic repartee reveals their competitive brotherly love." -Kirkus Reviews