Hard-won Wisdom from the Heart. Anyone who writes a memoir, if she’s going to be authentic, has to dredge up a lot of painful memories written in a manner that compels us to care. Beyond the authenticity of the telling, what gob-smacked me, once I got over the first chapters describing her obsession with being married and living happily ever after, was how easily the chapters flowed in nuanced segues among the peaks and valleys, twists and turns of her seeking the one thing she couldn’t find, but then found it.

Whether or not you are in the market for the perfect mate, this is a cautionary tale, a good read designed to break and warm your heart and maybe, to get a dog!

I also highly recommend reading the Table of Contents; it’s funny and profound and always the best way to start a book.

NOTE: With reminders of September 11th currently starting to appear in the press, it is poignant timing that Susan dedicated the book to her “Angel,� Berry Berenson Perkins, who died in United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, the second plane to crash into the South Tower 17 minutes after American Airlines Flight 11 struck the North Tower.

‘I’m Not Single, I Have a Dog’ is now available at McFarland Publishers, Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and other fine booksellers ($19.99).