Nothing was too large or too small to engage Jerome Stern's interest. Along with the mysteries of the universe, he wrote about kids versus adults, the moods of teachers, and summer camp. He wrote about chocolate, the anxieties of plane travel, and the night fantasies of husbands. And in a suite called "Patient," broadcast for the week on "All Things Considered," he considered his own experience of illness.

All in all, these pieces, whether cautioning or celebrating or simply turning over ideas (to see what makes them tick), add up to a freewheeling autobiography of a man who was curious about everything. Now, with this book, readers and listeners can recapture his words and the familiar musing voice.