The Art of Becoming Human considers not only the common experiences of human growth from birth to old age, but the profound influences that inborn talent, chance, necessity, and hope play in our development. Dr. Mercer's years of training and experience in internal medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry provided her the opportunity and privilege of witnessing the unfolding of every stage of human life. Rather than use anecdotes from her patients' personal histories, she has brought together a wealth of quotations from great works of literature to reveal the universal pattern that lies deeply buried beneath the economic, social, and political surface of individual lives.