Jennifer — John Duncklee

NOTE FROM PENNY DUNCKLEE This is the last book written by John. He finished it while he was in the hospital getting ready to die. Actually, the book ends like the end of a chapter, rather than the end of a story - just like the stages of life. Our imagination keeps going after the last page. Jennifer is a daughter shunned and ignored by her parents. She gets sent to a school in Maine for children with special needs. Much of the therapy involves discussion groups and hitting punching bags to get rid of and deal with anger and frustration. She has always been a loner who likes to write stories. The special needs girls' school joins the discussion groups with a special needs boys' school. Jennifer meets and becomes sweethearts with Pete. Pete disappears, without telling Jennifer, when his father tells him he will take him to be interviewed to go to Dartmouth College. Jennifer later gets one letter with no return address saying he went out West. He had talked about wanting to be a cowboy. Life continues interestingly for Jennifer until she finally meets Joe when she is in Arizona searching for Pete. There are beautiful warm and loving moments between the two, without grossly, sexy love scenes. Jennifer goes to Arizona looking for Pete and meets Joe, who stops to help when her car runs out of gas in the back country. Much philosophy and ways of life that were important to John appear all through this book. It really is an autobiography, through the characters, Jennifer, Pete, and Joe. Jennifer and Joe's relationship seems a lot like John's and mine, although John is both characters. The story does not really end on the last page. Jennifer's life continues doing research for another important book.... The final thoughts of the book are based on the discussions we had when a “homeless” man lived on our back porch for a month a couple of years ago. Penny Duncklee