Roland Vernon's biography of Krishnamurti, subtitled The Invention of a Messiah, could also have been called simply Understanding the Man. Krishnamurti's life has been well chronicled, but Vernon keeps his sights on the people and events that shaped Krishnamurti's life. We learn about Charles Leadbeater, the allegedly pedophilic discoverer of and tutor to Krishnamurti; Annie Besant, the notorious social activist and Krishnamurti's second mother; and the mysterious and painful "process" that brought Krishnamurti to enlightenment. Besides the influences on his public persona, Vernon is also fascinated by the sometimes contradictory and less well-known private side of Krishnamurti. He had close ties to his brother Nitya, whose death galvanized Krishnamurti to forsake the organization that created him. And he carried on an extended clandestine affair with Rosalind Williams Rajagopal, his early companion and later wife of his friend and business partner. Not quick to pass judgment, Vernon looks at various perspectives of these people and events, unafraid finally to come down with his own well-reasoned opinions. Star in the East depicts Krishnamurti as a complex man who encouraged everyone to think for themselves.

—Brian Bruya, Amazon.com
March 2001

Vernon, a professional writer educated at King's College, Cambridge, offers the most comprehensive Krishnamurti biography to date, promising "water-tight impartiality." He presents detailed accounts of the New Age teacher's life (1895-1986) and career in chronological order, using primary and secondary sources scrupulously quoted as well as unattributed interviews with students, friends and colleagues. However, Vernon's objectivity is a fairly unreflective one that often fails to systematically interpret and connect the details of Krishnamurti's life and career to important trends of his time. Vernon fails to recognize, for example, that Krishnamurti's story does not so much herald the arrival of Eastern mysticism in the West as it clearly describes and anticipates the construction of a unique Eastern mysticism by the West. Also, Vernon does not detect the apparent influence of Victorian notions of sexuality and hygiene on Krishnamurti's early trance inductions and later physically punishing purification experiences (known collectively as the "Process"). The custody and training of young Krishnamurti by the Theosophist Charles Leadbeater clearly involved what would today be viewed as child sexual abuse, and the author's reluctance to acknowledge it as such precludes a more comprehensive and accurate psychological interpretation of Krishnamurti's important religious experiences. However, this biography is still the best available, providing a wealth of detail that will be appreciated by followers of Krishnamurti.

—Publishers Weekly
March 2001

Vernon offers a compelling account of the legendary Krishnamurti, groomed from childhood as the Theosophical Society's messiah and spiritual savior of the world. With penetrating analysis, the author sifts through controversies surrounding Krishna's tutelage under the notorious Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater, who initiated the transformation of a shy and apathetic boy into a dynamic and spiritual genius. The author carefully handles Leadbeater's infamous sexual perversion, misogyny, and various deceits (such as forging "At the Feet of the Master," purportedly penned by Krishna). The author candidly but fairly examines the life of a molded messiah whose travels, emotional development, and maturing spiritual views culminated in his astonishing 1929 dissolution of the Order of the Star, declaring that "Truth is a pathless land, unapproachable by any path, religion, or organized belief." This is a balanced study of a world teacher who, in denying his own messianic role and spiritual authority, became, ironically, even more influential and left behind a legacy of schools in the decades to come. Recommended for all libraries to fill the void of comprehensive treatments of this figure.

—Loren Rosson III, Library Journal
March 2001

Star In The East: Krishnamurti, The Invention Of A Messiah is a thoughtful and informative biography of Krishnamurti, a most remarkable man who was raised from childhood as the Theosophical Society's "messiah" and anticipated spiritual savior of the world. Examining the young Krishnamurti's tutelage, his maturity and and personal strivings, Star In The East fully captures the heart and soul of a truly extraordinary and dedicated individual.

—Midwest Book Review
April 2003