SOCIAL SCIENCES

Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life in a Crowded World

by Michael Harris
Thomas Dunne: St. Martin's. Apr. 2017. 304p. notes. ISBN 9781250088604. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9781250088611. PSYCH
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Journalist Harris (The End of Absence) delivers more of the same in this book. Despite the title, most of this volume isn't about a pursuit of solitude but a jeremiad against social media and constant yet shallow connection. When the author finally does turn off his phone and heads off for a week in the Canadian woods, he doesn't seem to enjoy it very much. It's a classic case of misdirection here: this book isn't about solitude, but is rather a middle-of-the-road book about social media. Sherry Turkle's Alone Together is far more nuanced.
VERDICT Readers who actually want to learn about the pursuit of aloneness may want to read Anthony Storr's classic Solitude: A Return to the Self or watch Andrea Dorfman's charming YouTube video "How To Be Alone" (ow.ly/JMPu30aeoN8).
Reviewed by Mary Ann Hughes, Shelton, WA , Apr 15, 2017
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