Epstein, popular essayist and former educator, offers a series of 40 pieces, each on a famous and/or otherwise notable individual. The carefully chosen subjects include historian, philosopher, and soldier Xenophon of ancient Greece to George Washington and literary icon Susan Sontag. The whole is an interesting and varied collection, including politicians and leaders, authors and poets of all stripes, comedians, athletes, scientists, and more. The author offers a new way of looking at some familiar figures. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)