Musings on postmodern America by the National Book Awardâwinning author: âWhy be alone? For the pleasure of reading books such as this.â âEntertainment Weekly
How to Be Alone is a powerful collection of nonfiction by the New York Timesâbestselling author of novels including The Corrections, Freedom, and Crossroads. While the essays range in subject matter from the sex-advice industry to the way a supermax prison works, each one wrestles with the essential themes of Jonathan Franzenâs writing: the erosion of civil life and private dignity; and the hidden persistence of loneliness in postmodern, imperial America.
â[Franzen] focuses on the growing commercialism and alienation . . . Presenting a number of variations on that theme, he addresses such personal topics as his smoking habit, an interview for the Oprah show, and his fatherâs battle with Alzheimerâs, a poignant account of the diseaseâs impact on his family. In addition, pieces on the shortcomings of the Chicago post office, the supermax prison in Colorado, and the isolating effects of an increasingly computerized society show Franzenâs skill as a journalist and social critic. Also included is âWhy Bother?,â a revision of his 1996 critique of the American novel . . . penetrating yet entertaining social commentary.â âLibrary Journal
âIntelligent, thoughtful and provocative pieces.â âPublishers Weekly
âAlthough Franzen calls them âessaysâ many of these pieces are reportage. Heâs good at it . . . He goes out on many a limb (as essayists should) and gives us a good many things to think about, such as the blurring line between private and public behavior in the age of the 24-hour news cycle.â âMinneapolis Star-Tribune
âAn intellectually engaging self-awareness as formidable as Joan Didionâs.â âNew York Times
âDo good books matter anymore? This one does.â âTime