Patrick O'Keefe's daughter came to him just prior to her wedding day and said, jokingly, "Dad, I know there are a lot of things you take care of around the house that I never knew about. Before I leave, can you give me a list of things that my husband should be doing?" That got him to thinking . . . and writing this book. In O'Keefe's opinion, many young men and women don't seem as self-reliant as he remembers being, possibly because courses like shop and home economics have been dropped from many schools over the past few decades. In addition, women, for many reasons, might find themselves coping with responsibilities traditionally relegated to men, and more young women these days are entering the "real" world on their own. His book, drawn from his life experience, is intended as a friendly, basic guide to life on one's own: home/apartment ownership, car ownership, and life's little challenges for those who have never had to face them before. Read Less