Some years back I was having drinks with an elderly neighbor, a retired accountant with a broad range of interests. He had played the violin in his youth and was an avid collector of art which he picked up in his travels. I happened to mention that I'd recently completed a book of philosophy and his ears perked up. He called to his wife and had her bring us a book he had received as a gift and handed it to me. I looked at the title, Brainstorms, and noticed the author was an M.D. Thumbing through it I quickly realized it was a popularized narrative about the maturing brain in adolescents. "This is about the brain," I said "neurological development and the psychology of young adults." He nodded and told me to keep it, saying that, since I was interested in philosophy I might find it interesting, too. He said he hadn't read it himself.

I accepted the gift and later gave him a copy of my then latest book and kept the one he gave me, though to this day I still haven't read it. Why not? . . .