Stevie Katz is a thirteen-year-old boy working away his Summer days in his father’s hardware store. The Katz family lives in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. By 1958, the city of Cleveland is undergoing a dramatic demographic shift. The industry is beginning to die out, and a heavy percentage of White families are relocating to the suburbs as the city becomes more diverse. Stevie observes the changes with the discerning eye of a teenager.
Stevie’s thoughts and ambitions soon take a backseat when he makes an unlikely discovery hidden behind a brick in the basement of his father’s store. He takes the object but initially doesn’t give it a second thought. An accident occurs while Stevie and his father are assisting two friends with furniture. Stevie lends a hand to the critically wounded man, and soon the man is fully recovered. The incident leaves Stevie, his father, and the others perplexed but they’re inclined to chalk it up to life’s randomness. As time passes and Stevie gets older, there are other incidents and accidents that affect people in Stevie’s life. A friend suffers an injury during a football game and a touch from Stevie heals a possible crippling injury. People begin to look at Stevie in a different way, but Stevie knows the power flows from the mysterious rock.
Stevie would prefer not to brag about these instances and wants to get on with his life. He wants to go to college and then law school, choosing a path in life that would make his parents proud. Yet, fate seems to be offering a different road. Stevie’s purpose in life may be deeper than a courtroom argument. The miracles he’s been involved with may provide deeper insight into his next steps. However, the reaction he will face from family and community may provide a challenge all on its own.
The Healer’s Miraculous Discovery is a mesmeric book wherein the debate between faith and science takes center stage in the world of Stevie Katz. Author Stephen A. Robbins has created a story where strongly held beliefs are examined as the inexplicable happenings surrounding one young man divide a city. Stevie is a normal young man thrown into circumstances that are well beyond his understanding, yet as he matures, his own spirituality begins to take shape. He is modest about his own abilities and never wants to mislead anyone. Robbins’ take on the various religions and their beliefs, especially when compared to the supernatural provides for a great deal of the dramatic interplay between the characters. Robbins has written an extraordinary book with tremendous appeal.