The author reminds us that there are experiences, good and bad, that have the ability to suddenly divide one's life into "befores" and "afters." As traumatic as these experiences are they also offer opportunities to see thing differently than one has before. Although much of what Ms. Quindlen has to say, has been said before, she seems to have a gift for weaving together snippets of advice, or what some might consider cliches, into a meaningful, easy, pleasant read.

About the Author

Anna Quindlen is the author of three best selling novels, Object Lessons, One True Thing, and Black and Blue. Her New York Times column "Public and Private" won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and a selection of those columns was published as Thinking Out Loud. She is also the author of a collection of her "Life in the 30's" columns, Living Out Loud; a book for the Library of Contemporary Thought, How Reading Changed My Life; and two children's books, The Tree That Came to Stay and Happily Ever After. She is currently a columnist for Newsweek and resides with her husband and children in New York City.