In Timeless Lessons, acclaimed psychotherapist and Tavistock Institute veteran Mannie Sher offers a deeply personal, intellectually rich memoir presented as a series of letters to his children and grandchildren. 

Spanning over 80 years and five continents, the book reflects on family, trauma, politics, and the human condition through the lens of a life devoted to psychoanalysis, social systems, and intergenerational understanding.

Structured as 57 intimate, vignette-style letters, Timeless Lessons blends autobiography, clinical insight, psychological theory, and poetic reflection. Sher recounts formative experiences—from a troubled childhood in apartheid-era South Africa to his professional work in London—while addressing timeless themes such as morality, faith, identity, memory, and social responsibility. These letters stand alone as thought-provoking meditations, yet together form a cohesive narrative of personal growth, philosophical depth, and emotional clarity.

Drawing on decades of experience as a psychotherapist and organizational consultant, Sher explores the connection between individual psyche and societal structures. His belief that “there is a straight line between individual experience and social and political behaviour” infuses the entire work, making it both a personal journey and a call to civic consciousness.

The memoir’s appeal is wide-ranging:

· Mental health professionals will find clinically grounded insights.

· Parents and grandparents will appreciate the model of reflective, non-didactic intergenerational communication.

· Younger readers will discover honest, enduring guidance in an age of fleeting connections.

· Readers of memoir and psychology will value the fusion of narrative and theory.

Set against the backdrop of global unrest and rising authoritarianism, the book asks vital questions: How do we live ethically? What does legacy mean in a fractured world? How can writing serve as a bridge between generations?

Above all, Timeless Lessons is a testament to the power of language as a tool for healing, legacy, and transformation. With a foreword by Olya Khaleelee and endorsements from leaders in psychotherapy and organizational studies, this quietly powerful book offers insight, compassion, and a guide for living and relating with integrity.

About the author 

Mannie Sher is a principal organizational consultant and former director of the Group Relations Programme at the Tavistock Institute if Human Relations in London. He is widely respected for his work in leadership, psychoanalysis, and systems thinking.

Dr. Mannie Sher

Growing up in South Africa under Apartheid, made me aware of the deep suffering caused by totalitarian regimes. My research consultancy and publishing career, therefore, has been a lifelong mission to improve the lives, the working conditions and the well-being of people as individuals, in their social and work organisations and in their communities where they express their social, political or faith selves.  At the Tavistock Institute...