The Cliff Walk: A Memoir of a Job Lost and a Life Found (Paperback)

by Don J. Snyder (Author) "When word started getting around the university that I'd been fired, a student came up to me after class one morning and gave me the..." (more)
Key Phrases: cliff walk, Little League, Prouts Neck, Colgate University (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Don Snyder had a plum academic job, a peaceful, almost perfect life, and plans for far more success in the future. Teaching English and creative writing at Colgate University couldn't have been more stimulating; he sought ever more work and thrived on student contact. When his contract was suddenly not renewed, Snyder was uncomprehending. Nonetheless, he responded immediately--thinking his efforts and accomplishments would pay off, as they always had in the past. Interestingly, he took some time before relaying the news to his pregnant wife, hoping that he could match the bad news with that of another appointment. After almost 100 rejection letters, Snyder found himself helping (not necessarily the word his fellow laborers probably used) to build a house in Maine, and worrying about being able to afford heavier boots. This book might have been preachy or self-indulgent. It is neither. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Snyder (From the Point, LJ 4/15/88) had to come to grips with reality when he learned he would not be granted tenure as an English professor at Colgate University. Snyder had a wife he adored, three beautiful children, one on the way, and what he thought was a secure, lifetime "dream" job. Sure he would get another job, especially because the Student Honor Society had nominated him each spring for "Professor of the Year," Snyder was caught off balance when he received 90 rejections. Inertia, depression, and despair set in as he awaited another teaching position that never came. Snyder details the various painful stages his family had to go through, from selling their house to buying food with food stamps. When he could no longer take it, he accepted a job as a day laborer to provide for his family. Snyder writes with skill, insight, and sensitivity. Given the current upheaval in the status of tenure?and, indeed, the upheaval caused by downsizing generally?Snyder's book is timely. Highly recommended for general collections.?Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Coll. Lib., Garden City, N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books; 1st Back Bay Pbk. Ed edition (July 20, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316803480
• ISBN-13: 978-0316803489
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #427,657 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a former student of Don Snyder, March 9, 2001

By	Matthew R. McClain (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Don Snyder's book is wonderful.Having been one of his students, this is not surprising.Don Snyder was the most influential professor that I had at Colgate.His class was about life as much as it was about literature.For example,Don moved our classroom from one of the magnificent gray stoned buildings perched high on the hill of the campus,to a dank basement in one of the college houses at the bottom of the hill,so as to remove us from the ivory tower.He taught us the danger of assumption and vain glory.He challenged us to see the precarious nature of our lives and to take little for granted.Most importantly,Don challenged us to rid ourselves of the illusions of power and security, to find out what is truly the one most important thing in our lives and to live for this thing,this person.I kept waiting for him to tell me what that one thing should be.He never did.He left that to me and I am so thankful to him.This is the lesson of the book

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for those working with dislocated workers., July 7, 1998

By A Customer

This moving, at times poetic tale of coping with job loss should be required reading for everybody that works with dislocated workers.

As a self-made professional who defined his place in the world by his success in academe, Snyder experiences all the classic steps of grief when he loses his job. This guy was not just knee-deep, he was up to his ears in denial--and his family, particularly his wife, paid the price. I was particularly moved by his wife's ability to swallow her pride to return merchandise following his bouts of profligate overspending--even as she was reduced to applying for food stamps to feed their 4 kids. How could he be so foolish? Snyder lets us see exactly how . . . and also shows us how his eventual acceptance changed not only his job, but his life.

I work in a retraining program for dislocated workers, and this book provided me more insight into the devastation of job loss than any how-to book I've come across. I wept, and so will you.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A to the point account of feelings about job loss., January 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cliff Walk: A Memoir of a Job Lost and a Life Found (Hardcover)

'The Cliff Walk' by Don J. Snyder provides insight into the thought processes and depression brought on by a job loss. It is a "to the point" book about how this man looks at other people while dealing with the emotional trama of losing and not being able to find another job. The internal battles about self worth, self expectation, and self doubt are mixed with the just plain day to day problems of how to survive. Mr. Snyder hits close to home for anyone who as ever lost a job as he describes his sink into depression and then the realization that he really is no better than anyone else. The characters in the book are fully developed, especially Colleen, his wife. I felt her strenghth as I read the pages of the book. I became so emotionally involved I had to force myself to put the book down in order to escape from the feeling of being cornered only to find myself drawn back into the pages as soon as I could stand the emotional pain. It is a must read reminder for anyone who had ever been in this situation and a must read for anyone trying to understand someone who is coping with a job loss.