Who Is Your Resilience Builder?: Loss, Friendship, and Creativity

by Paul Shotsberger, David Conley

We often hear of individuals who lost one or both parents and went on to great fame, pushed to success (not necessarily in a healthy way) by the void left in their lives. But what of the pairing of those who have suffered profound loss, which against the odds results not only in a better life, but a radically transformed one? In particular, what about the influence creative individuals with similar interests can have on each other in relationship? To not merely survive, but to thrive; to not merely make a living and become productive, but to change the face of their respective art. This book explores the profound impact of friendship and creative collaboration on the lives of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney, whose stories of loss, friendship, and artistic triumph resonate deeply. Through their narratives, readers are invited to reflect on their own resilience builders and the power available for creativity and healing.

123 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2024

About the author

I am beginning my twelfth year as Professor of Education at Southern Wesleyan University. My doctorate is in Curriculum and Instruction, and over my career I have been a high school math teacher in North Carolina, a professor of math education at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, a missionary to Ukraine, and Dean of the School of Education at Southern Wesleyan University. I am married with a grown son and two grandchildren. I enjoy drawing pencil portraits as gifts for friends, I love to travel, and I am a big C.S. Lewis fan!