Mesmerized and somewhat unnerved by his 97-year-old father's vitality and optimism, David Shields undertakes an original investigation of our flesh-and-blood existence, our mortal being.

Weaving together personal anecdote, biological fact, philosophical doubt, cultural criticism, and the wisdom of an eclectic range of writers and thinkers ? from Lucretius to Woody Allen ? Shields expertly renders both a hilarious family portrait and a truly resonant meditation on mortality.