Life in Transition is about place, change, and relationship. Gilden's beautifully written essays offer glimpses into locations as remote as Turkey and as familiar as a walk in a small town. And while travel is an ever-present theme, the author doesn't hesitate to offer her ideas on topics as disparate as sexism and physics. Readers will find humor and a finely tuned appreciation for life "in all its permutations," even when it touches on loss. It's a book to read, and read again.