In this unusually conceived and constructed book, Mary Kay O'Neil pursues two projects at once. The first is an effort to reconstruct Ruth Easser's development and impact as a psychoanalyst from her personal history; from the progression of her thought in the papers she presented and published; and from the memories of those who knew her—as family member, friend, colleague, teacher, supervisor, or analyst. The second is to explore, through the lens of Ruth Easser's life, what it might mean for anyone to live and work as a psychoanalyst.