The Descendant

About the Book

Jay Benton returns to Brazil for the first time since his birth. Recently graduating from the Harvard Business School, he feels empty and rudderless and is anxious to learn as much as he can about his saint-like Brazilian father who was killed when Jay was only two. He also wants to discover more about his Confederate ancestors who emigrated to Brazil shortly after the Civil War. During Jay’s ten-day visit to Campo Feliz, a city founded by one of his forefathers, Jay falls in love, is almost killed in a land dispute, and discovers facts about himself and his family that change his life.

The Descendant is a book with strong spiritual themes of suffering, prejudice, forgiveness, and grace. It is an informative book that tells the story of leprosy and of the Confederate emigration to Brazil.

About the Author

Thomas Ferran Frist was formerly President of ALM International (American Leprosy Missions) and of ILEP (The International Federation of Anti-Leprosy Associations). He and his family lived in Brazil for 15 years where he founded SORRI, a national federation of vocational rehabilitation centers for people with disabilities. He has previously published Don’t Treat Me Like I Have Leprosy!