“First Mistake” is both a love story about defying the odds (even certain death) and a spiritual memoir about the search for identity, partnership, and the meaning of life. After the trauma at age 9 of witnessing and feeling partially responsible for the death of her caregiver, Ah Kung, he becomes the author’s life’s spirit guide. For 40 years, he has been with her on her journey to make sense of the world around her -- from South African Apartheid to the AIDS epidemic to the fight for marriage equality -- and with her as she grew in love, faith, and purpose. “First Mistake” is a memoir that should speak to anyone who, like the author, is still on a quest for the meaning of life.