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The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Penguin Press
February 2012
On Sale: February 2, 2012
288 pages
ISBN: 1594203229
EAN: 9781594203220
Kindle: B005GSYYIU
Hardcover / e-Book
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Hardcover (January 2012)
Non-Fiction
A revelatory examination of the most significant demographic
shift since the baby boom-the sharp increase in the number
of people who live alone-that offers surprising insights on
the benefits of this epochal change. Renowned sociologist
and author Eric Klinenberg explores the dramatic rise of
solo living and examines the seismic impact it's having on
our culture, business, and politics. Conventional wisdom tells us that living by oneself leads to
loneliness and isolation, but, as Klinenberg shows, most
solo dwellers are deeply engaged in social and civic life.
In fact, compared with their married counterparts, they are
more likely to eat out and exercise, go to art and music
classes, attend public events and lectures, and volunteer.
There's even evidence that people who live alone enjoy
better mental health than unmarried people who live with
others and have more environmentally sustainable lifestyles
than families, since they favor urban apartments over large
suburban homes. It is now more common for an American adult to live alone
than with family or a roommate, and Klinenberg analyzes the
challenges and opportunities these people face: young
professionals who pay higher rent for the freedom and
privacy of their own apartments; singles in their thirties
and forties who refuse to compromise their career or
lifestyle for an unsatisfying partner; divorced men and
women who no longer believe that marriage is a reliable
source of happiness or stability; and the elderly, most of
whom prefer living by themselves to living with friends or
their children. Living alone is more the rule than the exception in places
like Manhattan, half of whose residents live by themselves,
and many of America's largest cities, where more than a
third of the population does. Drawing on over three hundred
interviews with men and women of all ages and every class
who live alone, Klinenberg reaches a startling conclusion:
In a world of ubiquitous media and hyperconnectivity, this
way of life helps us discover ourselves and appreciate the
pleasure of good company. With eye-opening statistics, original data, and vivid
portraits of people who go solo, Klinenberg upends the
conventional wisdom to deliver the definitive take on how
the rise of living alone is transforming the American
experience. Going Solo is a powerful- and
necessary-assessment of an unprecedented social change.
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