Reviews

Loneliness is a very important topic (especially in 2020) so I had high hopes from this book. However, while I agree with the points that the book tries to make, it's more anecdotal than I expected, and also somewhat disorganized. Overall, I'm slightly underwhelmed by this one.

kateburstein31's review against another edition

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5.0

An incredible read about the importance of human connection. I can’t recommend this book enough. I feel inspired to find more ways to connect with others in my neighborhood and larger communities.

jcstokes95's review against another edition

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3.5

Murthy does an excellent job underscoring the importance of community and connection. He dives into stories of folks finding community in unlikely ways and the burdens that kept them lonely for so much of their lives. I found his personal story about his uncle’s journey particularly affecting; in many of these stories, Murthy is telling stories of groups which find it most difficult to find a sympathetic listener (e.g. women in the medical field, recent immigrants, men in rural communities).

The only weakness is that this book doesn’t necessarily give practical steps for folks looking to get connected. The stories serve as examples, but if you are looking for a practical guide this doesn’t seem to be the intent. That said, there are a lot of great ideas on where you could potentially start based on other’s experiences. It also gives a good overview of the concept and three ‘types’ of loneliness. It feels accessible and is well-written.

I would recommend this as a place to start, if you are feeling lonely or even just “down” and unsure why, I think this could be an insightful place to understand the mechanism of the feeling.

Content Warnings

michalski19's review against another edition

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5.0

I lack the words to convey how phenomenal this book is. This is my first audiobook and I loved everything about. I just don’t recommend listening to it if you’re gonna be in your car alone for a while 🤣. All the same - absolutely wonderfully written and narrated by the author.

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