· The Doctor Is In: Dr. Ruth on Love, Life, and Joie de Vivre by Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Pierre Lehu (’67). Pierre graduated from Friends shortly before I arrived, but I heard a lot about him because his mother, Annette Lehu, was my department chair, mentor, and surrogate mother. He has collaborated with Dr. Ruth on many writing projects. This book, jointly written by Pierre and Dr. Ruth, purports to be advice, but I see it mainly as a memoir. In 1938, realizing what was coming, her parents, Orthodox Jews in Frankfurt, sent her away to an orphanage/school in Switzerland. Her secure life ended abruptly at the age of ten. By 1941, she no longer received letters from her parents. Alone in the world, she emerged from the orphanage determined to grab life by the throat and squeeze out of that sucker every bit of joy it had to offer. My favorite parts of the book are when Pierre, whom she refers to as her “minister of communication,” always behind the scenes, steps out of the shadows. At her 75th birthday party he tries to get her to take the phone. She twirls away, having too much fun with an enchanting turn on the dance floor. He persists because, hey, it was Bill Clinton on the line.
