Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther are the only historical books about the period after the Babylonian Captivity 516-400 B.C. Some of the prophetic books also cover this period and give some details of that period. The period 400 B.C. to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is known as the silent years where God did not give the people any additional revelation.
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah have been historically thought to have been written by Ezra. However, beginning in Ezra 7, the book appears to be written from a third person perspective. “He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him.” Ezra 7:6 (NLT). Nehemiah, on the other hand, was written from the first person perspective. “And the king granted these requests because the gracious hand of God was on me.” Nehemiah 2:8 (NLT)
Ezra can be outlined as
1A. The first group returns to Jerusalem, chapters 1-6
1B. The people who returned, chapters 1-2
2B. The temple rebuilt, chapters 3-6
2A. The second group returns to Jerusalem, chapters 7-10
1B. The people who returned, chapters 7-8
2B. The problem with intermarriage, chapters 9-10
The key verses for Ezra might be Ezra 7:27-28 identifying the hand of God in restoring the Jews to their homeland.