The Impulse to Restore in a Fragile World Like Diane Ackerman"s A Natural History of the Senses, an exploration of a powerful but often overlooked aspect of the human psyche: our ability and instinct to fix things From clothing that develops holes from long use to fraying relationships, we seem constantly to be repairing in a breakable world.

We fix things around us all the time, without giving it much thought. But looking hard at this work makes us ask why we do it and what we"re trying to achieve. When does restoration destroy the value of an object? Who in your

house is more likely to fix the faucet? The relationship? When shouldn"t you accept someone"s apology? From fixing cars and restoring motorcycles, to women as the menders in our lives, to restorative justice as a way to heal

societies fractured by civil war, Spelman guides us across a fascinating terrain that is both highly personal and common to us all.

Repair illuminates a familiar yet mysterious instinct, and makes us see that our work as Homo reparans is vital, creative, and above all underappreciated.

Elizabeth Spelman is professor of philosophy at Smith College and author of Inessential Woman (Beacon / 6745-8 / $17.00) and Fruits of Sorrow Beacon / 1421-4 / $14.00). She lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Though Spelman teaches philosophy at Smith College (in Amherst, Mass.) this essay is directed at the non-scholarly reader. Spelman muses about the human urge to repair things, people, relationships, and so on, drawing examples from everyday life as these are reported in the news media and other popular sources.
Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [140]-156) and index.

Contents

1. Introducing Homo reparans

2. From Bricolage to Invisible Mending

3. The Household as Repair Shop

4. Serving Time in the Community of Repairers

5. In the Toolbox: Words and Money

6. The Irreparable and the Unredeemable

7. Repair, the Old, and the New

Notes

Index