[1] The book covers the Civil War years, which saw James' younger brother Wilky seriously injured and brought back to the family home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

He began to place critical pieces and short stories in magazines like the North American Review, The Nation and The Atlantic Monthly.

James' older brother William vacillated between art and science but finally settled on the latter, though many years would pass before he became the philosopher and psychologist of enduring fame.

The final chapter of the book covers the ill health and death (at 25) of James' spirited and appealing cousin, Minny Temple.

That biographical fact gives the book a special poignance that enriches James' loving memories of his family and friends.