Passing the Butter and Picking up the Penny

Jerome Rabow has contributed significant research to the fields of social psychology and education. This memoir, however, is very different from his academic work, and is aimed at people who wish to enhance their lives and for people who feel stuck. It is not a conventional "how to" book, but rather a"how you can" book: how you can learn from your failures, improve your family relationships, your relationships with your intimates, and deepen your relationship to your self. It is for the elderly who may not realize there can be a good life ahead. It is for professors who want to change how they teach or how they respond to their students. It is for those who dwell on their failures and cannot look afresh and unearth new possibilities.

This book may help you understand that poverty is not just a matter of money but can be something deeply psychological. This book may help you appreciate the value of persistence, help you recognize the ways your childhood experiences provide you with a template of how to be. This template paints how your adult experiences will be viewed, evaluated, and colored: blue, gray, black, or yellow. If you wear rose-colored glasses, this book may help you face your truths and see more clearly what is possible beyond the lens you are familiar with.