Chapters 1 through 3 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 1: The Early Years

Mary Neal was born and raised in a middle-class town in Michigan. She lived an idyllic childhood with her parents, her two brothers and one sister. Her father, Bob, was a general surgeon; her mother, Betty, a homemaker. Mary loved the great outdoors that surrounded her and took advantage of the many opportunities for fun and sport that were literally in her backyard. Like many generations before them, the Neal family attended the local Presbyterian church. To young Mary and her siblings, church services were long and boring and something to endure. Mary never got much out of them. However, the Christian values of love and support and compassion displayed by their parents did have a lasting impact.

Mary was always intrigued by her father's work. She would sometimes trail along behind him in the...