In this collection of NOTES Alexander Lawrence speaks in poetic form of some of the ordinary people and places which have strongly influenced his life. Responding in a human rather than clinical fashion to the ugly realities of child abuse and drug addiction, as well as to the heroic effort of ordinary folks to live with dignity despite grinding poverty, the author shares feelings about some of the children, parents and grandparents he knew and loved during his years as a child abuse investigator in New York City. Glancing back at other parts of his life, Lawrence records short and often humorous NOTES on love, lust, marriage and the human condition. A fascination with the streets and people of the towns and cities in which he has lived and worked is evident throughout the collection. Of special interest are his NOTES on the streets of Williamsburgh in Brooklyn as it was forty years ago, a community of several ethnic groups struggling and sometimes battling to work out a shared life in a small space.