Jalamanta
A Message from the Desert
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"A parable for our time. . . . We are in deep need of simple truths, of rediscovering our ancient teachings, and Jalamanta may provide that opportunity." —The Washington Post Book World
For thirty years, Fatimah has tended her herd of goats and waited for her lover to return. Amado was banished after leading a revolt against the cruel despots of their village—the Seventh City of the Fifth Sun. He followed the teachings of the wise men and women and roamed the desert in search of knowledge. When his exile finally ends, he returns transformed—no longer the innocent lover of Fatimah's youth but a prophet named Jalamanta, or "he who strips away the veils that blind the soul." He brings enlightenment, cures addictions, and can perform miracles. But Jalamanta's enemies see him as a dangerous threat to the status quo and will use any means necessary to stop him. His deep wellspring of faith and compassion will not allow him to give up or give in—even as he faces the greatest betrayal of all.
A searing indictment of tyranny, oppression, and human suffering, Jalamanta is about the age-old battle between good and evil that rages in every heart. It is also a tribute to the love that is the creative force of the universe—the light that can banish ignorance and fear and illuminate the darkest corners of the soul.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Anaya's preachy New Age parable is a sharp departure from the yeasty realism that won him a large readership for novels like Bless Me, Ultima and Alburquerque. Wise, gray-haired, cotton-robed heretic Jalamanta, returning from 30 years of politically enforced exile in the desert, rejoins his faithful wife, Fatimah, and attracts new followers with his teachings. He urges listeners to pursue the ``Path of the Sun''--to meditate, love one another, revere the Earth and find a path of their own choosing. According to Jalamanta, we can fill our souls with the light of the ``First Creation'' and evolve toward a higher consciousness. Inevitably, he clashes with the ``central authorities''--who promote militaristic dogma, established religion and cynical manipulation of the masses--and brings down the wrath of Benago, their chief inquisitor. Jalamanta's pronouncements freely synthesize Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist, Native American, gnostic and shamanic traditions to present a universal message of fellowship. Like all lofty sentiments, these become somewhat platitudinous with repetition. Author tour.
