Many readers of the Common Threads in the Life series by Ronald L. Donaghe have often assumed that the seven novels in the series closely reflect the author's life. They do not. The author of Slices of Real Life (Autobiographical Essays) has written a series of essays that tell the author's real story, and it is far different from his novels. Perhaps what is reflected in the many works of fiction the author has written are what he values most—family life, being part of the LGBT community, and the will to fight for equality. In these essays, the author presents slices of his real life from the time he first became conscious of self (around age four) until the present (2016). This collection is open-ended, because life is open-ended and will only end when his life comes to a close.