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Going Solo

The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
by Eric Klinenberg
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Feb. 2012. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781594203220. $27.95. SOC SCI
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John Donne ("No man is an island") and evidence of the "marriage advantage" to the contrary, Klinenberg (sociology, New York Univ.; Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago) paints a compelling picture of the new trend toward "singletons." Not much has been written about the fact that more than 50 percent of Americans are now single, with 28 percent of the population (mostly women) actually living alone. Klinenberg identifies four circumstances that have allowed this to happen: recognition of women's rights; vastly improved communication systems; the growth of cities; and longer life spans. Where solitary time and exile were once considered punishments, people on their own today enjoy the personal and intellectual satisfactions that come from being self-reliant—something Emerson and Thoreau recognized centuries ago.
VERDICT With articles in the New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Slate and appearances on the radio program This American Life, Klinenberg is at ease in both scholarly and popular milieus, and his book is recommended for libraries and individuals in both worlds.
Reviewed by Ellen Gilbert, Princeton, NJ , Dec 01, 2011
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