Exiting the Extraordinary (Paperback)

Frances V. Moulder

ISBN 10: 1498520219 / ISBN 13: 9781498520218

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Lanham, MD, 2017

About this Item

Paperback. This book is an exploratory study, in sociological perspective, of the process of returning to the ordinary world after extraordinary experiences. Some people have transformative experiences in life that are so extraordinary that they cannot be at all adequately explained to those who have not had such experiences. Experiences of this sort include: being in military combat; participating in great social movements, revolutions or terrorist activities; being incarcerated in concentration camps, the Gulag, and prisons; surviving collective disasters such as floods or hurricanes; serving in intelligence agencies and undercover roles; being a member of unusual religious groups; working as a journalist in war zones; carrying out aid work in impoverished or war-torn regions; and enduring slavery. The book discusses the commonalities among extraordinary experiences; why people are so profoundly changed by them; the typical challenges faced by returnees; and some typical strategies returnees have followed in order to deal with these challenges. A central theme of the book is that returnees are challenged not simply by experiencing extreme events, but by a great cultural divide between the extraordinary and the ordinary worlds. The struggles of returnees need to be seen as a social issue, rather than simply the private troubles of individuals. The book is based on personal accounts by returnees, interviews, and secondary sources, and contains many lively examples, both historical and contemporary, of the struggles and triumphs of those who go through extraordinary experiences and return to life in the ordinary world. This book is a sociological exploration of the process of returning to the ordinary world after extraordinary experiences. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781498520218

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Exiting the Extraordinary (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Lanham, MD
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1498520219
• ISBN 13: 9781498520218
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This book is an exploratory study, in sociological perspective, of the process of returning to the ordinary world after extraordinary experiences. Some people have transformative experiences in life that are so extraordinary that they cannot be at all adequately explained to those who have not had such experiences. Experiences of this sort include: being in military combat; participating in great social movements, revolutions or terrorist activities; being incarcerated in concentration camps, the Gulag, and prisons; surviving collective disasters such as floods or hurricanes; serving in intelligence agencies and undercover roles; being a member of unusual religious groups; working as a journalist in war zones; carrying out aid work in impoverished or war-torn regions; and enduring slavery. The book discusses the commonalities among extraordinary experiences; why people are so profoundly changed by them; the typical challenges faced by returnees; and some typical strategies returnees have followed in order to deal with these challenges. A central theme of the book is that returnees are challenged not simply by experiencing extreme events, but by a great cultural divide between the extraordinary and the ordinary worlds. The struggles of returnees need to be seen as a social issue, rather than simply the private troubles of individuals. The book is based on personal accounts by returnees, interviews, and secondary sources, and contains many lively examples, both historical and contemporary, of the struggles and triumphs of those who go through extraordinary experiences and return to life in the ordinary world.

About the Author

Frances V. Moulder has been a lecturer in urban and community studies and sociology at the University of Connecticut in Torrington since her retirement as associate professor of sociology from Three Rivers Community College.