An autobiography disguised as a talk about how all of us are born and how all of us one day are asked the question, "What are you going to be when you grow up?" The narrator assures the reader that everyone does grow up and everyone meets both optimists and pessimists and everyone finds their job: "Your work. Your it. Your you." She then goes on to describe her father's job and that leads to telling the story of Mr. Letiner who sold different things every day out of a suitcase. Which leads to cousin Harriet whose father was a composer, and to Mrs. Bach the piano-tuner, and Mr. James Bell, the doorman at her apartment building, and to Mr. Pool the artist, and to the short-order cook called Barney March who says things like "Chicken soup, boots!" (which means chicken soup to go), and to Dr. Mel Smellman with whom cousin Venezuela the astronomer was in love. And on and on and on -- one crazy person and with a crazy job after another. Fantastic details... ( )