View a FREE sample

Chapter 1: Ethan

• The following version of this book was used to create this Lesson Plan: Silber, Joan. The Secrets of Happiness. Counterpoint, 2021.

• The novel opens with Ethan, a lawyer from New York City, narrating his relationship with his father, Gil, who traveled to Asia for work when Ethan was growing up.

• Ethan shares that his father brought back presents from his trips for him, his mother, and his sister, expressing how his childhood crush, Mike, tried to "gamble away" (3) one of his presents.

• Then, he reflects on his childhood, explaining how his mother, a middle school English teacher, often left her children alone but fostered a love for celebrations, reading, and a homey environment.

• Next, he recalls the memory of his college boyfriend, Robert, reminiscing on his young romanticism.

• Ethan then remembers falling in love with Tony at his sister's wedding, and also remembers how he first learned...

(read more Chapter Abstracts)

This section contains 2,900 words (approx. 10 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample