In "What Happened to the Personal Essay?" Phillip Lopate notes: "The personal or familiar essay is a wonderfully tolerant form, able to accommodate rumination, memoir, anecdote, diatribe, scholarship, fantasy, and moral philosophy." The author proves to be a master of this medium in the 19 essays collected here.
In the best of the lot, Lopate uses the tale of Samson and Delilah as an entry point for his own speculations about anger, sexual politics, strength, weakness, and a good death. Other standout pieces cover modern friendships, moviegoing in the 1960s, and the author's production of Uncle Vanya with a group pf 10-year olds.