My greatly-loved wife Barbara died in February 2014 after a siege of ovarian cancer. She was a unique soul, and I wanted to present her life fully: to describe her many unusual qualities because it is something she deserves, as many who knew and loved her would agree. There is also a larger message here: what the writer John Updike called, "Giving the mundane its beautiful due." One might ask, "Why write-or read-a book about this woman?" Barbara accomplished...