Overview

This is a sobering look at what happens to men - and their families - who are unemployed for six months or longer. An insightful and sensitive account of the social and psychological consequences of unemployment, the book presents portraits of these men coupled with provocative theoretical analysis. It should be of interest to those studying the sociology and psychology of work, male identity, bereavement and trauma.

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9781558494152

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Reviews

This emotionally wrenching work is a much-needed reminder of the need to attend to those who are marginalized, even in the 'best' of times.--As usual, Cottle writes with an artist's skill, a social scientist's psychological and social consciousness. He is a wonderful storyteller; he catches life's subtleties, nuances, daily, hum-drum drama. He also is a skilled and thoughtful interviewer, observer, psychological analyst. He is doing important, revealing, original, and scholarly work, and doing it in a most unusual and brilliant manner.--Robert Coles, Harvard UniversityCottle's writing is unsparing, tough, and insightful. . . . To my way of thinking, this is his best and most mature work. Hardest Times is a major contribution to our understanding of men, of work, and of the shattering trauma that men experience when work is denied.--Robert Melson, Purdue University An insightful and sensitive account of the social and psychological consequences of unemployment. Hardest Times reaffirms Cottle's position as one of the more astute observers of and commentators on the poignant experiences of ordinary individuals.--Oliver Holmes, Wesleyan University Brings something new and significant to our understanding of the problems of long term unemployment. Cottle's trenchant and penetrating portraits of unemployed men alone are worth examining as only researchers like Robert Coles, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, Oscar Lewis, and Jonathan Kozol present material in such compelling, poignant, and vivid fashion.. . . These portraits, coupled with Cottle's enlightening and provocative theoretical analysis, will make Hardest Times a notable book that will take its place among the most significant contributions to the literature on the sociology and psychology of work, male identity, bereavement, and trauma.--Gerald M. Platt, University of Massachusetts Amherst

This emotionally wrenching work is a much-needed reminder of the need to attend to those who are marginalized, even in the 'best' of times.-- As usual, Cottle writes with an artist's skill, a social scientist's psychological and social consciousness. He is a wonderful storyteller; he catches life's subtleties, nuances, daily, hum-drum drama. He also is a skilled and thoughtful interviewer, observer, psychological analyst. He is doing important, revealing, original, and scholarly work, and doing it in a most unusual and brilliant manner.--Robert Coles, Harvard University Cottle's writing is unsparing, tough, and insightful. . . . To my way of thinking, this is his best and most mature work. Hardest Times is a major contribution to our understanding of men, of work, and of the shattering trauma that men experience when work is denied.--Robert Melson, Purdue University An insightful and sensitive account of the social and psychological consequences of unemployment. Hardest Times reaffirms Cottle's position as one of the more astute observers of and commentators on the poignant experiences of ordinary individuals.--Oliver Holmes, Wesleyan University Brings something new and significant to our understanding of the problems of long term unemployment. Cottle's trenchant and penetrating portraits of unemployed men alone are worth examining as only researchers like Robert Coles, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, Oscar Lewis, and Jonathan Kozol present material in such compelling, poignant, and vivid fashion.. . . These portraits, coupled with Cottle's enlightening and provocative theoretical analysis, will make Hardest Times a notable book that will take its place among the most significant contributions to the literature on the sociology and psychology of work, male identity, bereavement, and trauma.--Gerald M. Platt, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Brings something new and significant to our understanding of the problems of long term unemployment. Cottle's trenchant and penetrating portraits of unemployed men alone are worth examining as only researchers like Robert Coles, Sara Lawrence Lightfoot, Oscar Lewis, and Jonathan Kozol present material in such compelling, poignant, and vivid fashion.... These portraits, coupled with Cottle's enlightening and provocative theoretical analysis, will make Hardest Times a notable book that will take its place among the most significant contributions to the literature on the sociology and psychology of work, male identity, bereavement, and trauma.

Author Information

Thomas J. Cottle is professor of education at Boston University. His books include A Sense of Self: The Work of Affirmation and At Peril: Stories of Injustice, both published by the University of Massachusetts Press.

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