“Fascinating” – Professor B L Lasley

A fascinating read enhanced by the unapologetic use of British slang and jargon. However, after only a few pages this potential problem fades as the fascinating life of David Anderson unfolds in a fast-moving chronology. Trained as a clinical and research endocrinologist, David Anderson defies being pigeon-holed as either and launches himself full-force into any and all things of his interest.

How many times have you asked yourself…what if I had made different key choices in my life? What if I had taken the more interesting road when opportunity knocked? What if I had just followed my heart? The older readers get a rare chance to reimagine their lives vicariously as they reflect on adventures and accomplishments they might have experienced had they had a little more confidence and a bit of a daring attitude. For the younger readers this reading could be the inspiration to live their future dreams to the fullest without necessarily being daring. Neither deeply personal or heavily exploitive, the narrative is fascinating and easily digested by a wide range of readers.

With time, we understand that memories fade and many memoirs are notoriously bolstered with hyperbole and glamor. This is not the case here and Dr. Andersons’s recollections are neither embellished or overly dressed. The richness of his life and the variety of life experiences denies the need for hype. An unexpected and pleasant reward is the sprinkling of informative passages that educates the reader into what otherwise would remain the esoterica.

This relaxing, refreshing and somewhat cerebral jaunt on reflection on what could have otherwise been a mundane life of a relatively typical Englishman is reported a a series of engaging events that are unabashedly reported without exaggeration…. a seasoning that is not needed in this offering as the recounting is lively without embellishment. Locations are easily identifiable by those who often travel far. Names of friends and enemies are named with a shocking effect.

While memories can be notoriously inaccurate, this memoir seems most credible by not massaging the details, glamorizing events or enhancing ordinary outcomes. It is neither falsely hilarious or dramatically gripping. It is real life as most of us may wish we could have…and possibly should have… lived our own.

Professor B L Lasley, UC Davis, California