The Little Orphan Girl
May, 1989
This is a column about my mother, and it is a tough one to write.For most men, the mother--son relationship is complex, intense, loving and dangerous. It haunts us, thrills us and colors our lives forever. But it is also a relationship we bury deep in our hearts and rarely discuss.I have never known a braver or more beautiful person than the late Dorothy Mercer Baber. My indebtedness to her is enormous. If it had not been for her, I would never have become a writer. If it had not been for her, I...
