MY PARENTS, TO whom this book is dedicated, gave me the kind of love any child might wish for. They provided every advantage they could to launch me in life without ever suggesting, beyond their own fine examples, what my life should be. Mom and Dad had the generosity to bestow a gift with no strings attached.
You can choose your friends but not your relatives, they say, though I believe I would have chosen the siblings nature provided. My sister, Nanette Zucker, has proven a lifelong pal and great company; her humor, poise, balance, and unfailingly positive outlook have sustained my spirits for all of our decades together. She also has a great net game. Meanwhile, my brother-in-law, Daniel Zucker, has become essentially another sibling. Batting around either ideas or tennis balls with this fraternal soul is reliably stimulating.
Jeffrey Lambert has taught his older brother many things, mostly by example, including his excellent practice of the art of parenthood. As fellow citizens of Red Sox Nation, Jeff and I have shared moments of exhilaration and pain that only the Fenway Faithful will ever fully understand.
Tom Tiffany, a close friend since college, taught me at least half of what I know about rowing, the subject of my first book. We’ve shared countless laughs and edifying experiences as the sole members of the International Federation of Sagittarian Coxswains and cofounders of the Sesame Noodle Rowing Club, two of the most exclusive and least-known organizations in the rowing universe.
Peter Desmond has been a pal since we were college freshmen. A fellow writer, Des has brought endless smiles to my days with his wicked humor and gift for arcane philology. Without his sage counsel on taxes all these years, God only knows where I might be now.
Another fellow writer, Charles Coe, has been an unfailing sounding board for ideas on literature and sports, which suggests his breadth. When someone once asked Charles what he, as an African American, had been up to in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, he answered, “Touring as the lead singer of a jazz group.” Which he was. What can you add to that?
Phyllis Barajas has long been a delight both to hang out and cook with. Years ago, she appointed herself president of the Craig Lambert Fan Club, and she has performed admirably in that job, whose duties are eased by the fact that she is also the club’s only official member.
Nell Porter Brown, a fellow editor at Harvard Magazine, has sustained me for years with her understanding and ability to listen. I am grateful for the many ways she helped me work to the highest level of my capacities.
Steve Potter, another friend since college, believed in this book when it was not much more than an idea. With his wife, Kathy Drake, Steve has been a source of bountiful encouragement and support throughout its evolution.
Brad Addison has been a cherished friend since we forged a bond in Harvard’s Leverett House Dining Hall, known to initiates as “Lev Dine.” Over my years developing, marketing, and writing Shadow Work, as with many previous endeavors, Brad has provided unstinting support—as a reliable sounding board, and as a source of encouragement, ideas, critiques, and wise counsel. Our coast-to-coast conversations are filled with laughter, stimulation, and insight: to me, they exemplify friendship at its best.
Lenny Singer is the older brother I didn’t have. A true kindred spirit, Lenny has a passion for sports, especially of the Boston and Harvard variety, that, as far as I can tell, is unbounded by time or space. He is also, to my knowledge, the only Jewish, Harvard-educated commercial airline pilot who has ever lived.
Without my longtime friend Tom Vinciguerra, Shadow Work might never have come about. An accomplished writer and veteran New York Times contributor, Tom introduced me to a Times op-ed editor, which led to the publication of my essay on shadow work, the acorn from which this book grew.
Though Jesse Kornbluth was only a year ahead of me in college, we didn’t meet until we were both well along in our careers, when he wrote a lovely review of my first book, Mind Over Water, for his website. We became fast friends, and years ago I designated Jesse as my “rabbi” in the literary world. He’s been my go-to guy for advice on any professional question and has proven reliably smart, savvy, and funny. And even better, right. “Jesse the K” ranks at the top of the heap in generosity—with ideas, advice, caveats, and introductions. His peerless email messages are also an art form that rivals haiku in producing the biggest effect with the fewest words.
My literary agent, Julia Lord, showed tenacity in marketing Shadow Work and eventually placing it with the distinguished publisher Counterpoint Press. She has been a teammate, sounding board, and resource throughout this project. Julia disproves any and all clichés about inaccessible, uncommunicative agents. And best of all, she is a human off-road vehicle: She’ll go wherever necessary, regardless of terrain.
From the start, my editor, Dan Smetanka, understood that “shadow work” was a big idea. Dan has genuinely cared about this book. He has shown the wisdom of an experienced editor, both in what he has done and what he hasn’t done—both of which are equally important.
Jim Harrison, Harvard Magazine’s ace photographer, did a masterful job of shooting the image that anchors my website. The picture wouldn’t have happened without my friend Beth Whittaker, one of Boston’s top architects, who served as the model. Anyone as beautiful as Beth has been asked about modeling her whole life long; I am flattered that she agreed to pose for the first time for my photo—and did so, to no one’s surprise, with professional aplomb.
Jean McGarry, an old friend and a highly skilled novelist and short-story writer, read my manuscript, chapter by chapter. She provided abundant encouragement and suggestions—made even more credible by the fact that Jean directs the creative writing program at Johns Hopkins.
Danny Klein, a good friend who also happens to be a superb writer and best-selling author, provided unstinting encouragement at every stage of the process. He read the manuscript and set a Guinness record for exclamations of “Mazel!” Danny had a lot of positive things to say about the drafts, and given his literary credentials, I was even inclined to believe him. Danny’s wife, Freke Vuijst, at times seemed even more fired up about the shadow work concept than I was. She’s a smart, skillful Dutch-American journalist who brought me some European examples of shadow work, helping convince me that it really is a global phenomenon.
Robert and Ilona Bell, a couple who both teach English at Williams College, invested generous amounts of time in reading my chapters. Both helped improve the book. First, simply passing muster with literary minds of their caliber was a validating experience. (Once, after Bob sent me a commentary on Mind Over Water, I told him that I had no idea what a good book I’d written until he’d explained it to me.) Ilona is a painstaking reader and brilliant editor; I adopted nearly all of her suggestions, including a recommendation, late in the process, that persuaded me to reorganize the manuscript. Another nice thing is that both Bells are a joy to spend time with.
Lastly, my inamorata, Anne Undeland, has inspired me throughout. Her love, understanding, earthy common sense, and generous spirit have been an amulet through all phases of the work, and her presence and humor have been indispensible.