This collection of fiction contains seven short stories and a stage play. Its common thread is our need to taste life for what it is, though that need may be markedly different from one person to the next. The spice of life sometimes involves the forbidden, the bizarre, the dangerous. From our very beginnings, love and sex have been spiced with drugs and alcohol to enhance our sensations. We yearn for redemption, but often get trapped in a maze. This powerful book offers a close look into the lives of those who are strange yet familiar, but are definitely Tasting Life for What It Is. About the author: Gilbert Creutzberg was born in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1928. He attended the University of Utrecht. In 1951, he immigrated to the United States and became a citizen in 1971. He obtained a BA in psychology from NYU, 1955, and earned MA degrees at the New School University, 1963, and at Columbia University, 1968. His career has been in the field of substance abuse as a certified rehabilitation counselor and a licensed mental health counselor. Creutzberg wrote Ride the Forbidden Horse, published in 1984. The Mosaic, 2009, is an autobiography about his youth in The Netherlands during the Nazi occupation and the involvement of his family in helping Jewish citizens. An amateur pianist and organist, a bridge Life Master, he also likes long-distance swimming, and practicing daily Yoga, Kung Fu and Transcendental Meditation. He enjoys spending weekends with friends at his wilderness property in the wooded Pocono Mountains.Author website: http://www.GilbertCreutzberg.com Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/GilbertCreutzberg