Overall, the autobiography of "Dr. Ruth" Westheimer never really rises to any particular heights.

Readers who are interested in the lives of German Jewish children sent out of the country during the Second World War will get a superficial look at how the children were cared for, but won't really get an overview of the programs, or how it affected the children and shaped their subsequent lives.

Readers who want the inside story about the diminutive sex educator and media darling of the 80s won't get much more than an "and then I did this radio program and got famous." There's not much about how external events shaped the sexual mores of Americans and made them receptive to this particular celebrity at that particular time.

If you're looking for anything deeper, you won't find it here. What you'll find is a mildly interesting story about a young woman who persevered through setbacks and disappointments, but there's not much heart in it. ( )

It's a good story of her life. ( )

I saw Dr. Ruth speak at Brown University. She spoke with such poise and confidence that I fell quickly in love with her. Her autobiography doesn't dwell on self-glorification or self-pity, but instead she presents her story exactly like she presents everything; bluntly and with a huge amount of humor. ( )