First published 1954
Martin de Porres sweeps the floors of the Dominican monastery in sixteenth-century Peru. The son of a Spanish knight and a freed black woman, he occupies an uncertain place in Lima's rigid social order. The friars see his gentle nature and healing touch with the sick and wounded who come to the monastery doors. Martin tends to everyone equally, whether Spanish nobles or indigenous servants. His devotion draws both admiration and suspicion from those around him. Some call his work miraculous, others dismiss him as merely dutiful. Martin faces the choice between seeking acceptance in a world that judges him by his mixed heritage or following a path that serves something greater than social standing. This fictionalized account of the future saint explores how one person's quiet acts of service can challenge an entire society's assumptions about worth and belonging.
Genres: christian-fiction, historical-fiction, biographical-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-outcast
Setting: Peru, Lima
Period: 16th Century
120 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin Company