The Way We Are

About the Book

The Way We Are is in reality an encyclopedia dealing with what is going on around you during each stage of your life, from early childhood until retirement. At each step of the way, it will describe the basic truths of the situation and, where applicable, will show how these facts may be distorted as they are presented to you. It will guide you through the labyrinth of choices that you must make, asking such questions as where did the idea come from? What is its goal? Does it make sense? Are there any other sides to the issue? Are there any negative side effects? And finally, is it right for me? Think! Separate chapters deal with such issues as why the first five years of a child’s life are so important and what teenagers need to know about peer pressure as they break away from family ties. There are some words of wisdom on love, marriage, and sex; on smoking, alcohol, and drugs; on how to get the best job; what to expect as you climb the ladder to success; how to avoid retirement shock; and more! Read this book now and then put it aside to be read again as you reach each new crossroad. Follow it and you can gain the happiness that you so desire! Think!

About the Author

Brought up in Westfield, New Jersey, Newt Hagar graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in chemical engineering. This rather remarkably practical course teaches how one must carefully analyze every detail of a problem before pulling it together for a solution. This approach has proved to be very valuable throughout every stage of his life. During World War II, he became an assistant ordnance officer with the Fifth Air Force Bomber Command in New Guinea, and upon returning to the States after three years overseas, he was assigned to the think tank Air Forces Board. During his many years in the pulp-and-paper industry, he developed unique techniques for maximizing and maintaining softness in various grades of tissue paper and in creating a quick and easy way to present special designs of food service trays for major school systems. It was during these latter years that he acted as coordinator between marketing and engineering for product development. This involved a great deal of traveling, and it was while on planes and in hotels that he began reflecting on what he had learned during his working years—things that he had been too busy to think about, things that he wished he had known, things that people of all ages should know—and these became the basis for this book. After retirement, he found himself involved with his church and Kiwanis, and for seven years, he led the Portland, Oregon Area Restless Leg Syndrome Support Group. It was during those years that he coedited the Support Group Leader Manual, for which he received national honors. Read and enjoy!