A tour of modern literature and film, looking for insights, ideas, and wisdom. Story-telling is chock-full of it: insights that are very serious, and others less so; some that are funny, and some that are quite poignant. So much effort and so much money have been spent in modern times to create story, that the end result is nothing less than a gold mine of vital ideas and insights, into humanity and life. The book is a collection of about 500 short essays, looking at about 300 modern stories. It is a book of ideas, and a celebration of literary art.