“Irwin Epstein had a long career and built an international reputation as an academic researcher who wrote books and articles on professionalization and applied social work research in health and mental health among other subjects. Whatever the topic, he also always wrote with wit, fluidity, and great insight. In this memoir about the friends he loved and those that he was unable to, all his writing skill and psychological perceptiveness become central. Friendship like love is not always easy to understand, but Epstein writes with the kind of attention to complexity and empathy that makes this memoir unique.”