The year is AD 8. In the backwaters of Galilee, the twelve-year-old carpenter Yeshua nourishes an impossible dream—to become a rabbi. When a Buddhist pilgrim tells him about a country called Sindh where anyone can be a monk, Yeshua’s hope is kindled. He joins a camel caravan and sets off on a thousand-mile journey on the Silk Road into the unknown. Guided by the words of the Buddha and Krishna, but crippled by a stubborn reluctance to obey rules, Yeshua stumbles from temple to temple in search of a better place where he can finally teach. The Transmigrant is a remarkable tale of self-discovery that explores the lost years of Jesus. It is a reflection on the lengths to which a man will go to be admired, accepted, and, ultimately, loved.
THE TRANSMIGRANT is an alternative, fictional take on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Inspired both by ancient scriptures and relatively new findings, such as Russian traveler Nicolas Notovitch's 1894 book "The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ", The Transmigrant explores Jesus' life during the years not mentioned in the Bible.
Kristi Saare Duarte's vivid narrative deploys the methods of fiction to get at a truth about Jesus that history too often ignores. He was raised within the land and traditions of Israel, and became the central figure in the worship of the Church, but Jesus' horizons were broader than Judaism or Christianity. Jesus felt, explored, and articulated connections between humanity and the divine, and among human beings, in a way that has never been matched. By de-centering the geography of Jesus' development, The Transmigrant uncovers the emotional substratum of religious genius.
Kristi Saare Duarte ambitiously conjures the undocumented years of Jesus’ life, before he became a historically transformative figure. The author’s knowledge of the period is remarkably astute, and she artfully concocts a less self-possessed Jesus, still grasping for a sense of his life’s mission. She also delves into his youthful worldly longings, and the romantic experiences he has before his ministry, realistically fleshing out the possible details of his mortal life. Duarte masterly traces the evolution of Jesus’ thought, and the grand synthesis of religious traditions it culminates in: “I aim to remind my brother and sisters to love God and one another. Because it’s what’s in your heart that makes you righteous or impure.”A captivating and powerfully related account of Jesus’ early years.
The Transmigrant is brilliant in its simplicity of style, an inspired narrative and vibrant living tapestry that humanizes Jesus in a sensitive and delicate way, the likes of which we have not seen in religious literature since Hermann Hesse's tale of the Buddha, Siddhartha, or Kahlil Gibrann's The Prophet. Well-researched and backed up with an insightful closing note from the author, this exquisite book, like the long lost scrolls of Russian explorer Nicolas Notovitch, places "Yeshua" in India during the eighteen "Missing Years," offering a detailed alternative history for the open-minded reader.
The Transmigrant by Kristi Saare Duarte is a unique historical tale. It takes readers back in time. A lot of research has gone into making this one of the best reads yet. I haven’t read anything quite this good. The Transmigrant is a journey of man. Searching constantly for what he needs. Easy to follow, relate to, and understand. The pages are full of deep meaning. Engaging, well-developed, and stunning. Kristi Saare Duarte showed me the depths of what humans are and will go to….it was amazing. Physically and emotionally. I highly recommend readers to open this book and explore the most famous of all men, Jesus. His life unravels here.
