Is jealousy eliminable? If so, at what cost? What are the connections between pride the sin and the pride insisted on by identity politics? How can one question an individual's understanding of their own happiness or override a society's account of its own rituals? What makes a sexual desire "perverse," or particular sexual relations (such as incestuous ones) undesirable or even unthinkable? These and other questions about what sustains and threatens our identity are pursued using the resources of philosophy, psychoanalysis, and other disciplines. The discussion throughout is informed and motivated by the Spinozist hope that understanding our lives can help change them, can help make us more free.

In January of 2007, I retired from teaching in the District of Columbia Public Schools. At that time I had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of my life. My daughter-in-law, Kristen Bushnell Phillips, gave me a book on writing my life story—the book was what I was looking for. I eventually enrolled in a class in autobiographical writing at Prince George’s Community College. I learned a lot because not only was the teacher a serious writer, but there were also other people in the class who actually had careers in writing. I enjoyed sharing my stories with them. They encouraged me to continue with my writings. Here I am several years later with my finished product. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.