tamarahala's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this book would make me feel good about my Solo life but somehow it made me feel more depressed?
shibosan's review against another edition
3.0
Не ждал многого от этой книги, казалось - ну о чем тут писать можно? И поначалу так и было - занимательные, но не более, статистика и исторические экскурсы. Но автор довольно интересно рассказывает о том, как различна жизнь одиночек разных возрастов, полов, национальностей и социального положения. О тех, кто выбрал одинокую жизнь сам и о тех, кто живет так вынужденно. Кто пришел к жизни соло, и кто уходит, устав о нее. О проблемах, с которыми сталкиваются одиночки и даже о дискриминации одиноких, как бы чуднО это не звучало.Дочитывал книгу с большим интересом, заставило задуматься о будущем. :)
lohanesian's review
4.0
I picked this book up because I chose to live alone a few years ago but am now at the point where I don’t want to be alone for various reasons, and wanted to read more about other people’s thinking on the matter. The author makes a convincing argument that this the trend of people living alone is here to stay, but wisely avoids making any value judgments about this trend. Certainly the people who make this choice at earlier stages in their lives report more advantages than disadvantages, but the people who make this choice at the end of their lives seem to be in a rather precarious state due to failing health, despite their desire to maintain their dignity by living independently. To the extent that this author has an agenda it is that the various social ills associated with the rise of people living alone (poverty, isolation in old age) are not a result of living alone per se but the result of an inadequate social safety net. If I do choose to be married, I am statistically likely to outlive my husband. Ending up alone as I age is therefore not necessarily a matter of choice, but an inevitability. And possibly one that our society should provide for.
hreed7's review against another edition
3.0
I was drawn to this (audio)book because I thought modern romance, which aziz ansari did with eric klinenberg was terrific, and moreover I personally live alone and I figured that this would resonate with me.
Sadly nothing out of this book made me get up from my chair with excitement. Most of the book was simply a long, qualitative recapitulation of things I expected: younger people are more connected by social media and such than ever, and they have more money. Meanwhile adults are divorcing and old people don't want to live with their kids anymore. If you want to hear stories of people with lived experiences like these you'll enjoy this book.
the parts of the book that may in fact stick with me longer are these:
1. there was a brief sketch of the Swedish tradition of moving out of the house and into an apartment of one's own, which I found to be a fascinating contrast to the (typical) American experience of moving in with others after college. Apparently it was a big swedish social democratic policy initiative to create lots of singleton housing and it has created a collectivized cultural experience that I found fascinating.
2. the role that urban development plays in encouraging--or more accurately, reacting to--the rise of singleton living, and I thought it was so interesting that even as there is a greater need for housing for singletons, they do not present as cohesive a voting bloc as families so their needs are not reflected in policy choices. I couldn't help but think of a 99% invisible episode called "the sunshine hotel" about a single room occupancy hotel in the bowery that was home to men with all kinds of situations, and then it was demolished like so many other places that provide essential housing functions.
So, some interesting tidbits, but generally not one for the record books.
Sadly nothing out of this book made me get up from my chair with excitement. Most of the book was simply a long, qualitative recapitulation of things I expected: younger people are more connected by social media and such than ever, and they have more money. Meanwhile adults are divorcing and old people don't want to live with their kids anymore. If you want to hear stories of people with lived experiences like these you'll enjoy this book.
the parts of the book that may in fact stick with me longer are these:
1. there was a brief sketch of the Swedish tradition of moving out of the house and into an apartment of one's own, which I found to be a fascinating contrast to the (typical) American experience of moving in with others after college. Apparently it was a big swedish social democratic policy initiative to create lots of singleton housing and it has created a collectivized cultural experience that I found fascinating.
2. the role that urban development plays in encouraging--or more accurately, reacting to--the rise of singleton living, and I thought it was so interesting that even as there is a greater need for housing for singletons, they do not present as cohesive a voting bloc as families so their needs are not reflected in policy choices. I couldn't help but think of a 99% invisible episode called "the sunshine hotel" about a single room occupancy hotel in the bowery that was home to men with all kinds of situations, and then it was demolished like so many other places that provide essential housing functions.
So, some interesting tidbits, but generally not one for the record books.
marisacarpico's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.25
Decent if probably a bit out of date. Still, not as irrelevant as I feared considering how long ago it came out. Think I bought the hard copy when I was thinking about living alone or had just started to. POssibly I've had it even longer than that, though. Regardless, raised my own existential dread a bit while also reaffirming the need for more institutionalized support for "singletons" to live sustainably.
atarbett's review against another edition
3.0
Best stop after Chapter 5, because after that it goes from “Living Alone rocks!” to “You’re going to die alone and a cat will eat your face!”
pdxreader's review against another edition
5.0
I couldn't put this book down!
A fascinating study on the growing trend of adults living alone. NOT a self help book for singles as the title might imply.
amcloughlin's review against another edition
Though I read excerpts in college, this was my first time through Professor Klinenberg's canonical book on living alone. An insightful, well-researched, and expansive book.
ladamic's review against another edition
4.0
The book reports a mix of overall stats (how many people in each life stage in each country or city are living alone) and in depth interviews with thise living solo in the US or those advocating for these groups. This is glued together a bit with how the world could be designed more around those living alone, and also a bit of philosophy about independence. It was eyeopening in the acceptance and celebration of solo living as a deliberate choice that works for people. The book covers a lot of ground thoroughly. Still, I was disappointed that there was no discussion about how people could be brought together. Sure living alone beats living with an incompatible romantic partner, bad roommate, troubled grown children or substandard nursing home, and many people do just prefer it, but might there be solutions, e.g. co-op housing, roommate matching sites, something completely different that would bring people together who wouldn't mind more togetherness. And like some other reviewers, I found the introductory physical descriptions of everybody in the book a bit jarring.