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“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.”Raised in a wealthy family in Sepphoris with ties to the ruler of Galilee Ana is rebellious and ambitious a relentless seeker with a brilliant curious mind and a daring spirit. She yearns for a pursuit worthy of her life but finds no outlet for her considerable talents. Defying the expectations placed on women she engages in fur“I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.”Raised in a wealthy family in Sepphoris with ties to the ruler of Galilee Ana is rebellious and ambitious a relentless seeker with a brilliant curious mind and a daring spirit. She yearns for a pursuit worthy of her life but finds no outlet for her considerable talents. Defying the expectations placed on women she engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes secret narratives about neglected and silenced women. When she meets the eighteen-year-old Jesus each is drawn to and enriched by the others spiritual and philosophical ideas. He becomes a floodgate for her intellect but also the awakener of her heart.Their marriage unfolds with love and conflict humor and pathos in Nazareth where Ana makes a home with Jesus his brothers James and Simon and their mother Mary. Here Anas pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to the Roman occupation of Israel partially led by her charismatic adopted brother Judas. She is sustained by her indomitable aunt Yaltha who is searching for her long-lost daughter as well as by other women including her friend Tabitha who is sold into slavery after she was raped and Phasaelis the shrewd wife of Herod Antipas. Anas impetuous streak occasionally invites danger. When one such foray forces her to flee Nazareth for her safety shortly before Jesuss public ministry begins she makes her way with Yaltha to Alexandria where she eventually finds refuge and purpose in unexpected surroundings.Grounded in meticulous historical research and written with a reverential approach to Jesuss life that focuses on his humanity The Book of Longings is an inspiring account of one womans bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her while living in a time place and culture devised to silence her.(less)