A review by lohanesian
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone by Eric Klinenberg

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.