MIRACLE AT BELLEVUE - Hardcover

Psychiatrist Rubin (Lisa and David) recasts the biblical tale of salvation and redemption in the microcosm of New York City, with street characters familiar to its denizens. A bag lady and a discharged mental patient, a latter-day Mary and Jesus combination whose antics in the city streets win them admission to Bellevue, turn the tables on their would-be therapists. Mary explores the catacomb-like tunnels of the hospital, meeting and succoring patients of all classes; Jesus (aka Harry Byrd) helps liberate the day room people from the thrall of Thorazine. As the apparently delusional duo work their miracles, they astound the hospital staff, forcing them to face phenomena for which the scientific lexicon is meager. Rubin's laconic prose provokes boredom, and his inspirational message, fragmented and episodic, is not credible, even for fantasy.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A man who believes he is Jesus is released from a state mental institution in the Midwest and heads by bus for New York City. In Manhattan, a bag lady who calls herself Mary has a psychotic episode on 57th Street and is rushed to Bellevue. "Jesus" and "Mary" meet in Bellevue and recognize each other instantly. Soon, a mute patient speaks. A deranged shouter is calmed. Surely the Second Coming is at hand! The psychiatric staff is skeptical, although "Jesus" and "Mary" seem harmless enough. They are released, and their good works (their "miracles," if you will) continue. Rubin, author of Lisa and David (1961), has written a fable for our times. Some readers will find a message of renewed faith, hope, and compassion in this tale. Others will remain unconvinced. Recommended for public libraries. Marcia G. Fuchs, Guilford Free Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.