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Overview
Following her modern classic and worldwide bestseller Mutant Message Down Under, Marlo Morgan's long-awaited new novel is a tale of self-enlightenment about aboriginal twins separated at birth and the search for roots that reunites them form opposite sides of the globe.
Once more Morgan unveils the inspiring aboriginal worldview while pointedly exposing the plight of an ancient race rapidly becoming extinct as a result of more than two hundred years of systematic discrimination.
Message from Forever follows the lives of Australian aboriginal twins who were taken form their young mother by Christian missionaries. The baby boy is sent to a huge sheep ranch, where he grows up with little adult supervision and random affection. On his own, Geoff develops his talent as an artist, producing work at a level well beyond his five years. The boy is adopted by an American minister and is raised in New England with little sense of who he is or of his cultural heritage. His sister is given only the first name Beatrice by the nuns at an Australian orphanage, where she encounters continual racism and experiences shattering looses for the first eighteen years of her life.
Upon reaching adulthood, Beatrice leaves the orphanage to work at a boardinghouse. Beatrice hungers to know more about her ancestral roots. She walks away from her life in the city to strike out into the northern desert nation, where she goes on a walkabout with a small band of Aborigines.
Geoff does not fare so well in America. As a teen, he runs away from home and slips into a life of crime, alcohol, and alienation. His addictions destroy him, and he finds himself on Death Row with little sense of how he got there. After decades of learning about people in the Outback, Beatrice leaves her nomadic life to become a "runner between both worlds." She returns to the Mutant world as a political activist fighting for aboriginal rights of citizens arrested and convicted of crimes in foreign countries, as well as a champion of the rights of adults who were taken from their native culture as children. Her life's work bring her into contact with her lost brother, though neither is aware of their relationship.
Beatrice gives Geoff the "message from forever," which outlines aboriginal philosophy and principles of good living, along with an offer to return to Australia. As we read the message with Geoff, we are challenged to stretch our concepts of identity, spirituality, and openness transcends injustice and degradation, directing us to live our lives in accordance with ageless values and simple wisdom.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewJune 1998
"I was hypnotized by the simple truths and spiritual lessons. Read it and tell everyone you know to do the same." —author Wayne Dyer on Mutant Message Down Under
In the magical tradition of The Celestine Prophecy, Marlo Morgan, the author of the New York Times bestseller and world blockbuster Mutant Message Down Under, brings us a tale of simple truth and self-enlightenment. This long-awaited new novel unveils once again the unique worldview of Australia's aborigines, poignantly exposing the plight of an ancient people rapidly becoming extinct after 200 years of systematic discrimination.
Message From Forever chronicles the lives of two aboriginal twins, separated at birth, and their search for roots that reunites them from opposite sides of the globe.
Australia in the 1930's is a very dangerous place to live for the aborigines. Just as the Indians were driven off the lands of the United States, many of the outback aborigines are being slaughtered and their tribes disbanded by Australian settlers. Only a few hours old, Beatrice and Geoff (as they are later named) are taken from their young mother by Christian missionaries and permanently separated.
On his own, Geoff is adopted at age five by an American minister and raised in New England with little sense of who he is or his cultural heritage. He does not fare well in America. As a teenager Geoff runs away from home and slips into a life of crime, alcohol, and isolation. Eventually Geoff finds himself on death row with no idea of how he gotthere.
Beatriceis shipped to an Australian orphanage, where she encounters continual racism and a series of painful losses throughout young adulthood. Burning questions about her tribal ancestry eventually lead her on an unforgettable quest. Deep in the outback, Beatrice learns ancient customs handed down from aboriginal tribesmen. It is here that she discovers the spiritual truths that have been missing in her life. Decades later, as an advocate for the return of citizens convicted of crimes in foreign countries, Beatrice encounters her long-lost brother Geoff (though unaware of their kinship) and shares with him these universal truths — the "message for forever."
Through the story of the struggles and personal growth of the twins, Message From Forever challenges readers to stretch their conceptions of identity, spirituality, and environmental involvement. This is a moving story in which the powers of purity, acceptance, and openness transcend injustice, directing us to live our lives in accordance with ageless wisdom.