Psychologist Morgan (author of Training the Time Sense) presents an idiosyncratic exploration of time and experience, juxtaposing critical events from his past eight decades with speculative predictions for the decades to come. Working from the assertion that“ Each moment is a statue in time, always rooted in that time and that place,” Morgan's playful, proudly idiosyncratic work blends personal memoir, forward-thinking imagination, and surprising historical reflection—Morgan ponders the possibility that Richard Rodgers was a synesthete and recounts a bumptious encounter between his mentor and friend Robert Lee Green, then serving in Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Council, and Robert Kennedy.

Morgan delves into significant moments of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, examining how these events have influenced societal and individual psychology. His narrative is rich with striking personal anecdotes and professional observations: relish his encounter with a wag in the early 1960s who claims not to “see race,” or his dinner-party-ready tale of teaching the concept of identification reciprocity only to be interrupted by a student who inadvertently proves it. This keeps the historical sections informative and engaging—Morgan has no time for received wisdom or familiar pieties, though as he charts his nation’s tilt toward conservatism in the 2010s he does indulge in a page-length chicken-egg joke and some prankish play with ChatGPT.

That insistence on fresh thinking also shines in the speculative portion of the book. He envisions future scenarios with a psychologist's eye for behavior and detail, exploring how emerging technologies, environmental changes, and evolving social norms might impact human society. These predictions are grounded in current trends and scientific advancements, lending a sense of plausibility to his visions of the future. While Morgan's transitions between past and future can sometimes feel abrupt, and the book’s design and many illustrations tend toward the haphazard, he weaves eras and ideas into a thought-provoking narrative whole that challenges readers to consider the long-term impacts of present-day actions.

Takeaway: A psychologist’s insightful, surprising historical insights and future speculations.

Comparable Titles: Yuval Noah Harari, Ray Kurzweil

Production grades
Cover: C-
Design and typography: C-
Illustrations: C-
Editing: B
Marketing copy: C