Starting with Pals, the first play in this collection, the author demonstrates a flair for the bizarre. In Simply Simon he forces the reader to suspend his disbelief, for all the cows in the village have "forgotten" how to flick their tails. Several of the plays have the Holocaust as a background, and even here Kaufman introduces personages who have a sense of humor. They all need help to make a life for themselves in the tense world we live in. Many characters and plots are reminiscent of personal experiences, although the author insists they are, to a great extent, fictitious. In Lucky To Be Here, he tells of a young boy's impressions in a midsize American city during the years of World War II--largely an account of his own growing-up as a refugee from Nazi Germany. Lifelines also has its roots in the old world. In IS 200, Kaufman comes to terms with the devastating experience of surviving a stroke. All in all, the reader will not be bored!