Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Book Review: Lonely

Last week I finished Lonely by Emily White. I was drawn to this book because of the the subtitle: Learning to Live with Solitude. I would not describe myself as a lonely person - sure I have my moments when I feel lonely but in general, I would describe myself as quite content. I do spend a decent amount of time alone, though, and while I haven't completely given up hope of getting married someday, I do know that there is a chance that I will always live alone. It's positioned as a memoir interwoven with cutting-edge scientific research. After reading it, I would say that it's a book with cutting-edge scientific research, interwoven with White's story - meaning, the bulk of the book is the regurgitation of research White has done on the subject of loneliness.


White asserts that she feels there is less of a stigma to saying you struggle with depression than saying you struggle with loneliness. There is a perception that loneliness should be something you can control, or that it is a result of being lazy or uninteresting or unattractive. I didn't really agree with her opinion that depression has less of a stigma because, as someone who has struggled with depression in the past, I think there is a pretty pervasive belief in society that a depressed person should also be able to 'fixed themselves'. That said, I can sympathize with how White felt during those years when she was battling loneliness and hopefully the fact that loneliness is receiving more research attention will shift the perception about it and lessen the stigma that is currently attached.

Because I was expecting more of a memoir, this book did not appeal to me. If you are interested in the research that has been done in the field of loneliness, then this is the book for you...

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

8 comments:

Nora said...

After hearing what you said about the book (research wise) I would have struggled with it too... thanks for the honest review :)

Jess said...

Hmm..it sounds like it had such potential! Too bad she decided to go a more research-y route.

Thanks for sharing!

Mandy said...

I think I would have been drawn to the book too. Thanks for the honest review, books heavy on research like that are a struggle sometimes.

Amber said...

I have trouble with research-type books like that unfortunately. I just FINALLY finished Blink last night (remember I was reading it when I saw YOU in OCTOBER!) It's not that it wasn't a good book, it was, it just wasn't the kind of book that really appealed to me. I was interested while reading it but would often only read 3-5 pages and put it down and then not pick it up again for a week!

Stephany said...

This books sounds really interesting! I wouldn't categorize myself as lonely, because I'm quite content to be alone and doing my own stuff. I don't need to be around people as much as other people do. But I'm not sure how I feel about how research-based it was. I don't do well with books heavy on research. (I save that for school!) Thanks for the review, though!

Marlys said...

Never give up hope, my dear, never!

Heather J. @ TLC Book Tours said...

I'm sorry that you didn't enjoy this as much as you'd have liked to, but I'm glad you found parts of it interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts as a part of the tour.

Jeanie said...

Well, this is interesting. I've had the periods of loneliness -- mostly when all my friends were either getting married or moving to new places (and I was doing neither). But I long ago learned how much I like to be with me. And I have lots of friends here, and Rick down the street, so I suppose I don't have to be lonely if I don't want to be. It sounds like a fascinating book, if not the one you wanted to read. Well, maybe fascinating is over the top, but certainly intriguing.