Mary in Transit [Paperback]

Don Bemis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2010

What was Mary really like? Ask Rivka the gossip. She'll happily tell you, even if she doesn't know.

Poor Zechariah! Fifty years old, his wife is expecting, and a pregnant teenager has moved in. How does he get a word in edgewise? He doesn't. That's what you get for arguing with an angel.

What would a childless old priest do if an angel promised him a baby? How would a girl react to a humiliating role in history's greatest miracle? What was the world really like then? How could such a story possibly be true? All we know about Jesus' birth and childhood is in four chapters of the Bible- chapters containing such unusual events and characters that they read like a fairy tale. But perhaps the truth may become easier to believe by seeing how these events could actually fit together with recorded history.

So take Sari, the feisty donkey, who has no problem dispatching troublemakers with a swift kick. Toss in some real tyrants and invented thieves. Let uninvited angels stir it up, and get ready for excitement!

The Christmas story like you've never read it before....
By the author of the humorous, folksy novels: Heavens to Louie and Count Otto's Dragon.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Mary in Transit began as a Christmas message I wrote for church.  Entitled "An Ordinary Christmas," it discussed how "normal" the circumstances would have appeared at the time.  A virgin conceived, but "virgins" often conceive.  A baby was born in a stable, but nowadays babies are born in elevators, airplanes, and so on.  Shepherds were visited by angels, but who other than shepherds, sheep, and angels witnessed that event?  It is only by gift of hindsight that we appreciate how extraordinary it all was.

The Biblical account is divided between two books that for the most part don't repeat each other's events.  There was not much to work with for fitting it together.  I eventually settled on historical fiction, but with a bit of unease.  Fiction by its nature is fake, but I am convinced that the Biblical account is real.  The tale would have to be structured in a way that could have happened without insisting that it did happen in that manner.

There also is extrabiblical information.  The Jewish Encyclopedia was a lot of help.  The Internet is an excellent resource as long as we recognize its veracity is largely uncontrolled.  My geography degree finally got some use, too.  Having grown up in the New Mexico desert at roughly the same latitude as this story, I could appreciate long, dusty walks up and down hills while keeping an eye out for snakes and flash floods.  Finally, people's behavior hasn't changed much over history.  I could draw upon contemporary behavior to fill in the gaps way back when.

And now a note of caution:  Mary in Transit probably would be rated PG if it were a movie, maybe even PG-13 depending on how the reviewer felt about a stoning, but certainly not R.  I believe it is possible to write for adults without resorting to obscene language or steamy interludes.  Some things are best left up to the imagination.  However, if you are uncomfortable with the concept that Mary bore any children other than Jesus (Yeshua in the story), you have a couple of choices:

• Select a different book.
• Read it anyway, but be prepared to disagree from time to time.  White-out is better than black marker because it doesn't soak through the page.  Just don't do that if it's a library book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: OakTara (November 26, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602902585
• ISBN-13: 978-1602902589
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,608,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Bemis is a New Mexican by birth, geographer by training, engineer by trade, and writer by choice. He played clarinet in the New Mexico State University Band and married Lois, another Aggie clarinetist, before they graduated. Lois is from the mountains of northern New Mexico and never really warmed up to the desert, so they compromised and moved to South Haven, Michigan, in 1979. They have five adult children and a growing supply of grandchildren.

Bemis finally got time and incentive to write when his employer downsized. Now he is engineering again, but the writing bug bit him hard. Four of his books have been published so far.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tremendous book, December 15, 2010

By 

Carol L. Newton "actnew" (South Haven, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mary in Transit (Paperback)

This is a great book. Very easy and fun to read. Mary and Joseph are presented as ordinary loving parents doing their best to deal with the extraordinary situation they find themselves in. Humor is very tastifully used and illustrates just how unremarkable the setting for the miracles associated with the birth of Jesus was. This book allows you to be "on location" with people leading normal lives who were witnessing the beginning of the world's greatest story. The book even contains some exciting adventure with the escape from Bethlehem. Do yourself a favor and read this book. It was very enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mary In Transit will transport you to a wondrous time in Biblical history, December 20, 2011

By 

Freddie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mary in Transit (Paperback)

Great writing! Loved the humor! The mixing of contemporary mindset/phrasing with Biblical Jewish characters gave it a gripping quirkiness that really entertained this reader. Historical details on every page authenticated the fiction. I liked the historical note at the end, too. Very informative.

4.0 out of 5 stars Warm, Funny, and True, February 7, 2011

By 

Susan Prudhomme (Napa, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mary in Transit (Paperback)

Here is the story as I have often wanted to hear it - the birth of God in human form, lived and experienced by ordinary, everyday people. In Mary in Transit, Don Bemis introduces us, with an affectionate and light touch, to a Mary whose innocent acceptance of God's plan brings doubt and rejection by her parents followed by the welcoming belief of her Aunt Elizabeth, and then on with Joseph into all the adventures that follow. It is all here, told with warmth and humor and a full cast of characters, from the village gossip to Roman soldiers and Herod himself.

Though Bemis' touch is light, the story is treated always with full respect and fidelity. In his characters, we recognize familiar features of human nature as they no doubt showed themselves at the time, and as we recognize them, we share with Mr. Bemis in a kind of rueful, affectionate chuckle. Despite the notes of tragedy, there were, indeed, many chuckles in this book, and a sweet, lingering aftertaste.