Drawing Life - by Thomas J Cottle (Paperback)

About the Book

Cottle examines the ways people interpret their life experiences and construct meanings for the events they have encountered. In reading the sixteen life studies in Drawing Life, we encounter both inner reflections as well the power of culture to shape the meanings people give...

Book Synopsis

In Drawing Life, Thomas J. Cottle examines the ways people interpret their life experiences and construct meanings for the events they have encountered. In this manner, they discover their various identities and the essence of what we call the self. In reading the sixteen life studies contained in this volume, we encounter both inner reflections as well the power of culture to shape the meanings people give to their circumstances and the events that befall them. The stories also reflect the role of human relationships and social institutions in defining our personal identities and sense of justice. What makes us unique, therefore, is the personal story we tell as it reveals our constructions of the world and of ourselves. The stories recounted in Drawing Life illuminate not only our past, but also our perceptions of the present and our imaginings of the future. In this way, they become anthologies of our life experiences.

Review Quotes

"His writing itself is music; a deft blend of passion and restraint, light and darkness, pain and life-giving humor." --Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Emily Hargroves Fisher Research Professor of Education Harvard University

"Amazing, delicate, and blunt." --Susan Cheever

"No one writes about the everyday dreams, agonies, and situational realities of the young and oppressed with the perception and power of Thomas J. Cottle." --Philip Slater

"[Thomas J. Cottle] is a very good writer, who reminds one very much of James Agee, magically sensitive, and with a skill in rendering the poignancy of the captured moment." --Ashley Montagu

"Once again Tom Cottle has used his lively style to remind us of the full depth of the human experience and force reflection on the ethical stance we would like to see penetrate our fragmented society." --Jerome Kagan

About the Author

A sociologist and clinical psychologist, Thomas J. Cottle is currently professor of education at Boston University. He is the author of more than thirty books including At Peril: Stories of Injustice, Hardest Times: The Trauma of Long-Term Unemployment, When the Music Stopped: Discovering My Mother, A Sense of Self: The Work of Affirmation, and Beyond Self-Esteem: Narratives of Self-Knowledge and Devotion.