After service in Vietnam, as a surgeon for the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1968-69, at the height of the war, Dr. Gordon Livingston returned to the U.S. and began work as a psychiatrist. In that capacity, he has listened to people talk about their lives-what works, what doesn’t, and the limitless ways (many of them self-inflicted) that people find to be unhappy.

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In my continual quest to amass the biggest possible collection of secondhand books, this one was given to me. I fancied a palate cleanser between writing, so figured now was a good time to read it.

I’m not usually into non-fiction, or anything self-help, so I think it says a lot that I enjoyed it. It’s a collection of essays, and there’s genuine wisdom in each one. Every now and then it verges on platitudes, but I guess that’s a risk of the genre.

Four stars!