Evelyn Sommers is a psychologist in private practice in Toronto and formerly in Vancouver, whose first book is a study of incarcerated women's views of the causes of their lawbreaking. Her most recent book, The Tyranny of Niceness: Unmasking the Need for Approval is an analysis of niceness, a universally accepted and culturally encouraged way of interacting that moves people away from authenticity and towards dishonesty in relationships. Born in southwestern Ontario, Evelyn graduated from York University, and from the University of Toronto (OISE) with a Ph.D. in Applied Psychology. She worked as an elementary school teacher, in sales, as a business owner, and in social services prior to full-time attendance at graduate school, experiences which she feels add important dimensions to her work as a psychologist and as a writer.