"Get ready to drop your ego and step into the real world. If you ever wanted to know why everybody else always seems one step removed from reality - Beware - Leary's well researched deadly accurate book, proves once and for all that the common denominator in all your failed relationships is you! Read The Curse of the Self and unlock the door to the bizarre inner workings of the human mind." --Lisa Earle McLeod Syndicated columnist, Lifetime Radio commentator and author of Forget Perfect (Penguin/Putnam).

Despite all the much advertised changes in technology and popular culture, being 15 today is still much like being 15 a generation ago. Teens’ lives are still framed in large measure by parents, schools, peers, and popular culture. Farther up the age scale—despite all the changes in the economy—being 35 today bears more than a passing resemblance to being 35 a generation ago. Adults’ lives are still framed by careers, marriage, children, and civic ties.