This book explores the profound effect that our upbringing has on our adult lives. Friedman skilfully explores the way that lifestyles choices reflect our interactions with our parents during childhood. He attempts to show how parents are behind many of the decisions we make, ranging from the work we do and the leisure activities we enjoy to our choice of partner and our sexual interest. He makes a strong case that a better understanding of the way we were brought up can give us the tools to avoid antisocial behaviour. He shows how this knowledge can help us to avoid the mistakes our parents made with us, and stop us from passing them on to our children. An Unsolicited Gift sums up the views of an author with wide experience of the psychology on parenting and its influences.