cover image Overcoming Regret: Lessons from the Road

Overcoming Regret: Lessons from the Road

Carole Klein. Bantam Books, $20 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-553-08925-7

Regret, assert the authors, is an increasingly familiar emotion in this age of many choices. One cannot really ``have it all,'' they state, and choosing certain goals automatically closes the door on others, often forever. The book shows that in making life decisions, we do not benefit from hindsight--a particular problem during early adulthood, when the nature of our choices may set the pattern of our lives. Klein, who teaches writing at the New School in Manhattan, and Gotti, an associate professor at the State University of New York, examine regret as it occurs from childhood to old age. They provide a chapter on the relationship of regret to fame, power and wealth; they explore the psychology of regret, including defense mechanisms people use to diminish this unpleasant emotion; and they suggest ways to cope with regret. A practical, sensitive guide to an often overlooked problem in modern life. ( July )