AWARD-WINNING DEBUT NON-FICTION
GOLD WINNER
Memoir & Biography
Nautilus Book Awards
WINNER
Best Cover, Non-fiction
IndieReader Discovery Awards
FINALIST
National Indie Excellence Awards
SELECT EDITORIAL REVIEWS
“Ndacayisaba’s prose is smooth and insightful [...]” — The BookLife Prize
“A well-crafted, continent-spanning remembrance of one man’s search for the American dream. […] this account of Ndacayisaba’s remarkable achievements also meaningfully reflects the larger immigrant experience.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A timely and powerfully told memoir, Transient Anchors is a compelling tale of survival, support, and unwavering resilience.” — SPR
“For those who enjoy reading about real experiences from interesting people who seem to have lived a thousand lives in a single lifetime…” — Reader Views (starred review)
Transient Anchors: From Refugee Tents to Research Towers by Libère Jensen Ndacayisaba is a moving memoir that traces the author’s journey from childhood displacement in Burundi to building a life in the United States, rendered with vivid sensory detail and a clear, reflective voice. Through its blend of personal history, cultural observation, and resilience-centered storytelling, the book will resonate strongly with readers drawn to immigrant narratives, coming-of-age accounts, and hopeful perspectives on survival and self-making. — IndieReader
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART ONE
MAPS AWAY FROM THE SELF
1. At the Crossroads Between Hemispheres
2. First Steps in the Land of Liberty
3. Mà Vlast: Beauty of a Thousand Hills
4. The Embassy at Avenue des États-Unis
PART TWO
THE WEIGHT OF SHADOWS
5. At the Gates of Death
6. The Stinky Smell of Survival
7. Schoolchildren in Warfare
8. The Altar Boy Returns to the Shadows
PART THREE
NOT CALLED FOR PRIESTHOOD
9. Adolescence Away from Home
10. Science Was Not the Sin
PART FOUR
THE COLD START PROBLEM
11. Footings Through the Fog
12. Sanctuary at Last
13. The Parable of the Secular Son
PART FIVE
ECHOES OF THE OPENING ROAD
14. The Scientist in the Mirror
15. Seasons of the Cold Snow
16. Knowledge Crowns Those Who Seek Her
17. Called for Biomedicine.
PART SIX
TRANSCENDENT HORIZONS
18. The Hypothesis of a Lifetime
19. Citizen of Many Worlds
20. The Improbable Doctor
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About the Author
DEDICATION
To those who looked for me,
To those who looked after me,
To those who looked up to me,
To those who looked out for me,
To those who looked down on me,
To those who looked forward to seeing me,
Thank you for being my anchors in the turbulence of life.
"
For all the loss and all the love,
For all the hurt and all the heart,
For all the sins and all the science,
For all the pain and all the prayers,
For all the hustling and all the healing,
For all the aches and all the anchors,
For all the silence and all the songs,
For all the suns and all the moons,
For all the souls that left soon,
For all the stories that made me.
"
