“A deceptively slim volume, Ray Robertson’s Why Not? Fifteen Reasons to Live, packs a punch in fifteen essays that take the reader through an elegant meditation on almost all aspects of life, from Work and Humour to Meaning, Friendship, Solitude and eventually Death. Robertson seamlessly weaves his own journey growing up working class in Chatham, Ontario with larger meta-perspectives on each area under examination, drawing on a diverse range of sources, from the literature of the Romantic poets to the Roman philosophers. As its title promises, Why Not?, reminds the reader of life’s joys in a quiet yet powerful way.” – 2011 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Jury (Brian Brett, Devyani Saltzman, and Russell Wangersky)