Robert Coles, the esteemed Harvard psychiatrist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, passed away at the age of 97 at a hospice in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

Renowned for his groundbreaking work on children facing poverty, segregation, and social upheaval, Coles dedicated his life to understanding and documenting the emotional and moral resilience of young people.

His landmark five-volume series, 'Children of Crisis,' published between 1967 and 1978, explored children in a range of environments—from the effects of desegregation and life among migrant workers, to Native American and Hispanic children, and even children of wealth.The second and third volumes earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.

Coles employed a deeply empathetic research approach, often visiting families repeatedly and encouraging children to express themselves through drawings.

He also authored numerous other books on children's moral, spiritual, and political lives, as well as works on Anna Freud and social reformer Dorothy Day.He received a MacArthur 'genius grant' and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

Coles' fascination with children's response to crises began during his time as an Air Force doctor in the South, notably inspired by the courage of Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to integrate a New Orleans school.Coles taught at Harvard in psychiatry, medical humanities, and social ethics, emphasizing moral reflection and personal responsibility.He authored over 50 books and hundreds of essays, leaving a lasting legacy on both child psychiatry and social ethics.