Who are the castaways? The author himself clarifies the meaning of this neologism he has coined: a castaway is someone rejected by men but made a protagonist by God.
Mirilli reflects on what it means to be cast aside—to be someone or something without value, fit only to discard. He reminds us that Jesus himself was rejected by men, cast out and crucified. Yet through his humiliation and resurrection, he became the protagonist of humanity, our savior.
The book presents the lives of six illustrious biblical castaways and five more from our own time, including the author's personal experience. The narrative style is simple and immediately engaging, yet the message remains powerful and profound: God chooses to make protagonists of the humble, those rejected by the world. "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." We must learn to see in a person cast aside—in a rejection we ourselves have dealt—a spark of renewal, a hidden value we did not know was there.
"To believe in Jesus Christ [….] is to believe that each of us can overcome any rejection and become the protagonist of unexpected victories."
Rita Massi, 2017