UMass Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press

Stories of Injustice

Thomas J. Cottle
Foreword by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot

An exploration of the hazards of everyday life in contemporary American society

"A gifted social scientist and professor of education at Boston University, Cottle has published numerous other books . . . that also combine his objectivity as a sociologist and clinical psychologist with subjective anecdotes of people in crisis. Collected here are true stories of men, women, and children living on society's fringes—the poor, the drug addicted, the abused—as told in their own words during interviews with the author. . . . Reminiscent of the work of Robert Coles and Jonathan Kozol, these stories are immediate and compelling. . . . Woven throughout these stories are Cottle's sensitive comments about the interconnectivity and interdependency of all Americans."

Publishers Weekly

"A moving collection of personal accounts of people in the United States whose lives are continually at peril. . . . Readers gain insight into how the individuals view themselves and how they view their situation in their daily lives and in the world that surrounds them. The stories are framed between an introduction that sets the theoretical framework for viewing the stories and an afterword that tackles the relevance and validity of the life story as a methodology. . . . Due to the author's sensitivity and writing ability, the stories stand on their own and make compelling reading, leaving us with a powerful vision of the underbelly of America."

Contemporary Sociology

"An astute and thoughtful book that tells the poignant stories of those hobbled by the injustices embedded in our society. Cottle challenges not just the reality that life is unfair but what we as a society and as individuals can do to relieve the unnecessary suffering we witness every day. At Peril touches the soul—and will inspire many readers to become involved in their communities. This book is certain to have wide appeal."

Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., Harvard Medical School

"Once again 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, Harvard University

Thomas J. Cottle is professor of education at Boston University. He is author of more than twenty-five books, including the forthcoming A Sense of Self.

Sociology / American Studies
328 pp., LC 00-056832
$40.00s cloth, ISBN 978-1-55849-278-3
$24.95t paper, ISBN 978-1-55849-403-9
2001 cloth, June 2003 paper

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