Four Lives

About the Book

Why are some people able to survive unpropitious beginnings, thrive and even excel, while others in equivalent circumstances cannot? The four women whose memoirs make up this volume met several years ago in an autobiography workshop. Despite early years that included physical, emotional and sexual abuse, deaths and abandonments, and the terror of living in a country at war, they remained sufficiently self-possessed and determined to go on to live productive lives, often giving back more than they had received.

How did they manage to do it? Was Theda’s loving family her protective shield? Was Honey’s willingness to accept help and learn from others her salvation? Did Peggy’s brightness, charm and independence give her the confidence to take on the world? Was Janice’s determination to matter her incentive?

This book offers no answers, but there are enough clues in each of the four stories on which to base reasonable conjectures.

About the Author

Theda von Schultz Bray survived World War II in Hitler's Germany and emigrated to the United States with her parents and sister. After marrying, she became a nurse. Honey Hilzen raised herself and the three youngest children of her mother's many marriages, maintaining a devotion to them throughout their often-tragic lifetimes. Peggy O'Hea lived in orphanages from age six to sixteen. She worked as an executive secretary and earned a bachelor's degree while raising her children. Janice Rubin earned a master's in psychology, raised two children, had an award-winning career in journalism and now teaches.