GOING SOLO The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone

Klinenberg studies an unappreciated demographic in the United States and other countries—a dramatic increase in people who are living alone by choice. He debunks the cultural bias that living alone necessarily results in isolation and unhappiness, and describes a vibrant subculture of “singletons,” many of whom have more active social lives than their contemporaries who live with a spouse, partner, or roommate. Patrick Lawlor distinguishes between the many interviewees quoted in the book. He maintains a sense of engagement through the statistics and discussions of social sciences literature that relate to the topic and are used to illustrate the history of this cultural shift. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]