COLLECTED WORKS

About the Book

Life is not fair or easy, but miracles happen, and sometimes love is enough. Marion Strauss, a teacher-psychologist, is asked to teach three special teenagers in a regular school, but in fact, they all learn from each other—how to care, how to dare to be in love, and how to turn struggle and injustice into triumph.

Coming out of a long and abusive marriage, Marion is kind and compassionate, but she cannot find the courage to open her heart completely to anyone. Her husband’s physical rage had become uncontrollable especially after giving birth to a brain-damaged girl. His abuse makes life so appalling that she finally summons all her strength and divorces him. She finds another man to love who treats her with kindness and respect, but the wounds from her first marriage still have not healed, and she becomes afraid of his commitment and love.

When Marion is fired from her position in a modern school for developmentally-disabled children, she gets work as a resource teacher at a run-down old public school. Her new job is considered pointless by her colleagues, and everyone in that poorly-funded public institution resents her and her students. She is stunned to find out that the school administration is apathetic even to the despicable home conditions of these teenagers.

However, the very hopelessness of their situations inspires Marion, because she knows what it is like to be abused by the person who is supposed to love you the most. She sets out to help her three charges by being brave enough to love them, and to help them do the same for each other. Marilyn is bright but disturbed and unable to read; Brent is brilliant but very opposed to touch; and Katie is a traumatized deaf-mute.

Together, sharing compassion, encouragement, and love that will make each of them stronger, these three learn to cope in a world that prizes conformity and rejects uniqueness. THESE THREE reminds us all that with love and support, miracles happen and hope triumphs over hate.

ARLENE AND RUBIN: A LOVE STORY starts off with the demons of Juliajo Gilbert, her husband, Charles Durning, Arlene’s mother and stepfather, and Lana and Andrew Clemmens, Rubin’s parents.

Juliajo, rejected by her lover, Spencer, agrees to raise her daughter, Arlene. She meets Charles Durning who promises her a posh modeling position with him. They soon fall in love and everything seems like paradise for he treats Arlene like a daughter. After a few years, Juliajo, though unbelieving, finds out that her beloved husband has been sexually abusing her daughter. Juliajo ends up alone with her daughter and tries to kill her. Arlene becomes mute. Both mother and daughter are committed to a psychiatric institution.

Lana Baines, though rejected by Andrew, does marry and life is devastating for he is abusive, negligent, and rejecting to her and their son, Rubin. Andrew eventually dies and Lana is left a widow with her young, gifted son and things are fine though Rubin has no friends. He gets unwittingly involved in a homosexual relationship with a male teacher. When found out, not only is he shunned by his classmates, but his mother sexually abuses him. He tries to date a girl in his school, and being so frustrated, he rapes her, leaving her mute. Then, he commits the ultimate crime. He stabs his mother and is then committed to the same psychiatric institution where he meets Arlene.

Both children are alone. Their doctors have had no success with them. Arlene watches Rubin and writes him notes that he rejects. Rubin refuses to acknowledge her attempts at friendship though his doctor said caring was good. Rubin denies that he likes Arlene.

A breakthrough comes about when Arlene´s doctor suggests that she write about someone she loves. Arlene writes about Rubin. A snotty, promiscuous girl starts trouble when she read