I realized a long time ago that everyone has an interesting life story, but in order to interest others, you’ve got to know which stories to tell and how to tell them. It’s clear that Singer knows this. He’s a therapist but he doesn’t lecture or preach to the reader; instead he allows the reader to learn from his (Singer’s) experiences. Or not, because although there are lessons here, it’s also a story of an interesting life. He’s refreshingly imperfect (especially for a therapist!) and endearingly forthcoming about his own occasional missteps.
The book is an easy read because it’s so well written. As someone who has taught English and history, one of the most praiseworthy comments I could give my my students’ writings was to call them well crafted. To me, this meant that they hadn’t settled for just any word, but searched until they discovered the perfect word or set of words to clearly, accurately, and interestingly convey their descriptions and ideas. This book is well crafted.
I enjoyed the book and found it useful as a tool to ponder my own life.