Don't Worry About a Thing is a coming -of- age memoir about life in a small Maine town in mid-twentieth century America. A child of a Greek immigrant and a Maine country girl, the author attempts to establish an identity in the midst of turmoil caused by her father's gambling addiction and later, major illnesses that strike both her parents. The author's father is first generation American, but unlike many happier first-generation stories that end in success, he cannot overcome his gambling addiction in order to care for his family. When cancer strikes the author's mother, she must face her mother's mortality. Amidst these struggles, Sullivan searches for meaning: who am I? is there a god? how can I survive in a world with little stability? Against the backdrop of long New England winters and short summers, she must deal with her family's disintegration. It's a story of escapism, denial, addiction, and physical illness. Sullivan's personal journey forces her to come to terms with life and death issues as she searches for meaning.