Musings on postmodern America by the National Book Awardβwinning author: βWhy be alone? For the pleasure of reading books such as this.β βEntertainment Weekly
How to Be Alone is a powerful collection of nonfiction by the New York Timesβbestselling 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 Franzenβs writing: the erosion of civil life and private dignity; and the hidden persistence of loneliness in postmodern, imperial America.
β[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 fatherβs battle with Alzheimerβs, a poignant account of the diseaseβs 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 Franzenβs skill as a journalist and social critic. Also included is βWhy Bother?,β a revision of his 1996 critique of the American novel . . . penetrating yet entertaining social commentary.β βLibrary Journal
βIntelligent, thoughtful and provocative pieces.β βPublishers Weekly
βAlthough Franzen calls them βessaysβ many of these pieces are reportage. Heβs 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.β βMinneapolis Star-Tribune
βAn intellectually engaging self-awareness as formidable as Joan Didionβs.β βNew York Times
βDo good books matter anymore? This one does.β βTime