"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