Interview with C. V. Wooster, Author of Searching for Bowlby

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Searching for Bowlby?

I began “Searching for Bowlby” as both an intellectual and a personal journey. I had long been fascinated by the psychology of human connection and how our earliest bonds shape the rest of our lives. Yet, on a deeper level, I was searching for an understanding of my own upbringing, my parents, and the patterns that echo through generations. John Bowlby’s life and work illuminated that search. He was a man who turned his own wounds into wisdom, transforming personal pain into a framework that has helped millions. I wanted to tell his story not as a sterile academic, but as a human being—someone trying to make sense of love, loss, and belonging.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of Searching for Bowlby, what would they be?

If I had to choose a single song for Searching for Bowlby, it would be Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.” It’s bittersweet optimism captures both the pain and perseverance at the heart of Bowlby’s life and work. The song’s quiet message—to keep faith in love even when the heart aches—mirrors Bowlby’s belief that healing begins in connection and that hope can endure even after loss.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

I read across genres but am most drawn to narrative nonfiction and historical biography—books that balance intellectual rigor with human depth. It’s the same kind of writing I love to create. Whether I’m exploring a desert eccentric in Mrs. Orcutt’s Driveway or a psychological pioneer in Searching for Bowlby, I’m always chasing that intersection between history and humanity, where fact meets feeling.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

My current TBR stack leans toward history and biography with depth and moral weight. I’m reading The Wager by David Grann for its exploration of endurance and leadership under pressure, and Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest for its meticulous storytelling about a nation on the brink. Next up are The Avoidable War by Kevin Rudd, River of the Gods by Candice Millard, and The Splendid and the Vile, also by Larson, for their portraits of human courage and complexity in turbulent times.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

My favorite scene was Bowlby’s moment of clarity during the wartime evacuations of London, when he began connecting children’s trauma to lifelong emotional patterns. Writing that passage felt like standing beside him as he pieced together the puzzle of human attachment, realizing that what we lose as children becomes the map we follow as adults.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

My writing days begin before sunrise, coffee in my same chipped graduate-school mug in hand. Music is always playing—instrumental soundtracks only—and my dog usually takes up most of the chair beside me. I draft first lines by hand in a notebook before moving to the keyboard; the feel of ink on paper slows my thoughts just enough to make them honest. I don’t believe in writer’s block. If one project stalls, I shift to another, often working on several books at once, letting one rest while another takes shape. For me, momentum is everything—the act of writing itself clears the path forward.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

“Respect the thought, structure the delivery.” I use this line often with students and in my own work. It reminds me that passion and clarity must coexist—feel deeply, but express with discipline. Another guiding line comes from Marcus Aurelius: “What stands in the way becomes the way.”

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

That our early experiences don’t define us—they inform us. Understanding where we came from can help us grow beyond it. Bowlby’s life shows that even from emotional distance, we can learn empathy, and even from loss, we can learn to love more deeply.

C. V. Wooster is the author of the new book Searching for Bowlby

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