Marjorie Corbman '09 First-year student … and debut author

There are many published authors with Holy Cross credentials. This year, the list has grown to include a member of the Class of 2009.

Marjorie Corbman, of Randolph, N.J., arrived on campus in August around the same time her spiritual memoir, A Tiny Step Away From Deepest Faith: A Teenager's Search For Meaning (Paraclete Press), was shipping to bookstores.

The book is an account of what Marjorie — and many of her friends — experienced and shared during their high school days, and how these experiences led to profound questions; to a search for spirituality, identity, and the presence of God in the world. Raised in a secular household (her mother converted from Catholicism to Judaism as a young woman; her parents identify themselves as non-practicing Jews), Marjorie's spiritual search began at age 13 and subsequently led her to baptism in the Orthodox Catholic Church.

Over the recent Columbus Day break, Marjorie returned home to New Jersey and celebrated the official launch of her book. She gave a speech at her alma mater, Morristown-Beard High School, where for the first time she was able to speak publicly about the deep spiritual life that she had developed over her teenage years. "It was very nice for me to be able to bring together so many parts of my life, to celebrate the launch of my book," she said. "I was very happy that it could take place at my school, a place that means so much to me."

In the book, she tells of the process of discovery that she went through before finding a religious "home." She admits that her parents were "rather mystified" by her choice of the Orthodox Church at the age of 15, but describes them as very supportive, driving her to attend services each week.

The book started to take shape when, during an online search, she discovered the writings of Frederica Mathewes-Green, a popular Christian writer and public speaker, who encouraged Marjorie to consider publishing some of her writing. She put Marjorie in contact with editors at Paraclete Press; her proposal was accepted and she then began the nearly two-year process of writing and publishing her book. The initial press run was 10,000 copies, and the book has already drawn interest from print and online publications, and has led to interviews and requests from publications for other writing from Marjorie.

She has received early acclaim for the book. Publishers Weekly called it "a rare and thought-provoking gem: the story of a teenage girl struggling with life's biggest questions about meaning, love, suffering, loneliness, and most of all, God" and noted that it "echoes the tone and confessional nature of St. Teresa of Avila and the young St. Therese of Lisieux." And Booklist wrote: "Writing about the struggle of finding a faith may seem beyond the ken of a teenager, but Corbman's sincerity and knowledge of religious traditions makes this compelling reading."

Marjorie applied early decision to Holy Cross, and is a member of the First-Year Program. She is considering majoring in either world literature or Russian literature. She has been able to continue her involvement with the Orthodox Church and is currently frequenting St. George's Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral on Anna Street in Worcester. At Holy Cross, she has been struck by the number of students that attend Mass regularly ("The dorms all seem to empty out on Sunday at 10 p.m.") On young people her age, she notes that many do not realize the rich theological literature available to them. "Kids don't read good theology — and there is so much to read," she says. "We leave Sunday school, and then stop reading theology."

In some ways, it's not surprising that Marjorie has ended up published at such a young age. She always loved to write, and at the age of two she had announced to her family that she wanted to be a "story writer" when she grew up. Her writing life continues at Holy Cross. In addition to work in her courses, she continues to write on her own. She has no definitive plans for a second book, but enjoys writing fiction, and would like to publish a novel someday.

Related information:

# www.marjoriecorbman.com