Composing A Life (Plume)

The Story

This extraordinary book explores that act of creation that engages us all--the compostition of our lives. Through the comparative biographies of herself and four of her close friends, Mary Catherine Bateson provides a fascinating framework for her inquiry into the creative potential of complex lives, where energies are not narrowly focused toward a single ambition but rather are continually refocused and redefined. Each of the women in 'Composing a Life' faced discontinuity at periods in her life, yet was rich in professional achievement and personal relationships. Bateson's life-affirming conclusion is that life is an improvisational art form, and that the interruptions, conflicted priorities, and exigencies that are a part of all our lives can and should be seen as a source of wisdom. Important and empowering, 'Composing a Life' will change lives. 'Well-formulated and passionate...offers nothing less than a radical rethinking of the concept of achievement.' -- 'San Francisco Chronicle' 'Bateson has written about women, but not just for women. Everyone can gain from this book.'--Bill Moyers 'The best book since Gail Sheehy's Passages for turning life's discontinuities into growth.' --Stewart Brand 'A literary form that reflects the way women commonly reason and talk.' 'The Boston Globe' 'Truth steams behind the quiet elegance of these passages.' -- 'The New York Times Book Review'