From the warmth of an extended family to the streets of New York;from "patsy" to street-smarts; from being a devout religious observer (with an atheist father) to the depths of despair, when my religion failed me; from the receiving end of the abuse of power from a politically appointed colonel, while serving overseas in World War II, to fair play from an old-time sergeant; from anti-Semitism while seeking employment in the Federal Government after the war to social justice; from the struggle to join the mainstream of American life to ultimate success as a practicing professional with conscience intact, all the while seeking for the way to make sense of, and a meaning to, life; this is the story of the son of immigrant parents, or- "the making of an American".