Description
Book SynopsisIn 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.
Trade ReviewHis writing itself is music; a deft blend of passion and restraint, light and darkness, pain and life-giving humor. -- Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Harvard University, author of
Balm In Gilead: Journey of a Healer and Respect: An ExplorationAmazing, 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
Table of ContentsCONTENTS Preface Acknowledgments I. STORIES OF ADULTS On Narratives and the Sense of Self The Abandoner Do You See Me as a Human Being or Just Another Black Face? No Way to Look But Back Jacob and Millie Portman A Woman Named Sarah Clark Keller Marcus Nathaniel Simpson: If the Lord Has Patience, I’ve Got a Future Professors II. STORIES OF CHILDREN Adolescent as Story Teller: The Case of Anorexia Nervosa The Young and their Prophets They Got Anger Pushing ‘Em in One Direction, Fright Pushing ‘Em in Another The Evils of Testing and Tracking The Bedroom of Sheila Cooperton A Child to be Envied Mind Shadows Just a Memory III. EPILOGUE The Value of Stories: Applications for Research and Healing Bibliography
