Miracle Man
Author: William R. Leibowitz
An infant wrapped inside a large garbage bag is thrown into a dumpster. A homeless man saves the baby and is accused of kidnapping. When the police realize that the homeless man simply saved the baby’s the story appears in all the headlines. Names Robert James Austin, this infant will grow into something more than human, and yet all human. The story of Robert James Austin proves the talent of William R. Leibowitz. Rushing like a river in a torrential rain, Miracle Man stuns and entertains swivels and twirls above and beyond that which we know.
Two women save his life. Natalie Kimball, the social worker in charge of the infant, could not place him in any foster home. No one wanted to take a dumpster baby. So Natalie begs foster parents Edith and Peter Austin to take him. The Austins have raised many foster children and are getting ready to retire and enjoy the rest of their lives. They say no. But Natalie pleads with them, and they take him in. And realize that they have the most amazing child on the planet. Robert is talking before the age of one, and by four years of age he is doing mathematical computations in his head that defy all reason. But Robert has problems: he has horrible nightmares and he goes into trances that last 40 minutes or more where he cannot stay in reality. The Austins take him to a child psychologist to help Robert with these problems and the doctor, Ronald Draper, studies the child. Dr. Draper is head of the Department of Child Psychology at Mount Sinai Hospital and when he tests Robert he is stunned. The child is so above any IQ tests available that he cannot be scored. At four years old, Robert is reported to the Director of OSSIS (the Office of Special Strategic Intelligence Services and the Austin family are visited by Orin Varneys, the Director. When Orin has his facility test the four year old, he realizes that the child is already beyond the PhD level in all areas of learning. And Orin decides to manipulate Robert into a special school so that the OSSIS can keep track of him – for government reasons. For such intelligence has never been seen before.
As Robert loses his parents, the Austins, in a car accident and then his mentor and best friend Joe Manzini dies, he presents with worse nightmares, withdrawal and the trances last more like days than minutes. He is in danger of losing reality. As he fights Varney to keep control of his own life, Robert decides to leave OSSIS and use his intelligence to discover cures for a plethora of the big killers: cancer, MS, and cell regeneration. He succeeds, but has to fight for his life as the Big Pharm companies plot to kill him: he is putting them out of business. Absolutely brilliant in plot and characters, I could not put this novel down for even a second.
This novel pulses and throbs with a story that proves both vulnerable and heart breaking.
Brilliantly written, utterly entertaining and un-put-downable, Miracle Man is one of those novels of the year that cannot be missed.
Stunning.
Ratings are based on a 5-star scale
Overall: 5
Review by Broad “A” – Ava
We received a copy of this title for our book review. All opinions are our own
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