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In this, the author’s first published book, early chapters are stories from his youth growing up in the Philippines. Similar is the chapter “Streets and Remembrances” about homes where the author, his nurse wife, and family have lived in southern California since 1977. Unlike a memoir, this book is more a group of meditations on topics popular due to modern advancements.
The author always wanted to be a pediatrician; his wife wished to live in America. They arrived stateside in time for him to take his residencies in Los Angeles. As a pediatrician, he writes several chapters relevant to parents, such as how the American attitude regarding corporal punishment changed due to Dr. Spock’s child-rearing book of the 1950s. Knowing that the subject of circumcision can be unsettling, he opts to tell circumcision jokes. He also comments on the current status of universal healthcare in America. Other chapters take on creationism, evolution, nature as a pantheistic god, the universe, and big bang theories. Quoting Einstein and Stephen Hawking, the author concludes that if the universe had a start, it must have an end... as well as an initiating impulse.
Villarasa reveals himself as an entertainer and teacher, alternating between discussions on near-death experiences, angels, and the benefits of golf and Karaoke. Clearly, Villarasa enjoys speaking out about challenging issues. Respecting his audience, he patiently engages the reader’s mind by presenting thoughts and opinions of noted thinkers on controversial subjects. While contrasting the ego and soul, the author references Freud, Jung, and Adler. With English as his second language, deeper subjects cause him to default to using words that rhyme and are polysyllabic to convey meaning with emotion. Readers are not likely to mind since the author acknowledges this habit. Villarasa deserves praise for bravely tackling some of the weightier topics known to mankind.