Joseph Epstein has presented us with an entirely unwarranted but entirely wonderful autobiography. Taking stock of his long and full life, Epstein proceeds linearly from his childhood through his adult life and finally considers the finish line. Interesting, only a couple chapters are focused on his accomplishments as a writer and editor, though his professional trajectory is of course a thread that is developed over the course of the book.

Throughout, Epstein's is unwaveringly candid without being confessional, maintaining a brisk and unpretentious prose style throughout. He is not bashful about describing his youthful troublemaking, whoring and gambling, that eventually got him kicked out of Urbana-Champaign and fortuitously admitted to the University of Chicago, the place where his life of the mind actually began. Generally, the trajectory of Epstein's life is a great illustration of how much has change in America post-WWII. For example, perambulation to career success is typically no longer a viable path. Additionally, Epstein writes movingly about some of his truly challenging experiences: his divorce, raising four boys as a single father, the loss of his younger son to a drug overdose, and the raising of that son's illegitimate child.

Epstein is a distinct character, an anachronism, and a mensch. Some of his qualities are certain to rub modern readers, especially young ones, the wrong way. However, it inspires a bit of longing in me for a time where American intellectual culture was more robust, open, and collegial. I was largely naive to much of Epstein's writing until reading this, but now I will make sure to correct that oversight.