I read this book a few years after it came out at the urging of a friend. He knew I was born in 1961 and pointed out this paragraph:"On the other hand, perhaps you had the misfortune to enter the world in 1961, one of the worst years in this century to be born. You're one of the huge crowd of late baby-boomers, also known as generation x. The mass of older boomers who preceded you are occupying most of the best jobs and have pushed the price of real estate way up, perhaps out of your reach. Chances are that life has been a struggle for you. And your parents, the lucky people who were born in 1937 or thereabouts, probably don't understand how tough that struggle has been." - David K. Foot and Daniel Stoffman from Boom, Bust, and Echo, Macfarlane Walters and Ross Toronto 1996.That description has both comforted and haunted me ever since, and highlights the lasting message of the book: much of your life is beyond your control, accept that, and don't fight the big waves. In a sense this is like a Taoist teaching to use the big patterns to your advantage, and make the best of what is. Pretty good advice really.