Ratings2
Average rating3.5
ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief, and Comfort During the Time of COVID-19 is a collection of essays, poems, and interviews to serve as a lifeline for negotiating how to connect and thrive during this stressful time of isolation as well as a historical perspective that will remain relevant for years to come. Jennifer Haupt, editor and curator of this anthology, and Central Avenue Publishing, as well as all contributing authors, are donating net profits to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community. In response to the pandemic, Ms. Haupt rallied more than 90 authors to contribute their work to ALONE TOGETHER, free of charge, to support struggling independent booksellers forced to close their doors. The roster of diverse voices includes Kwame Alexander, Jenna Blum, Andre Dubus III, Jamie Ford, Nikki Giovanni, Pam Houston, Jean Kwok, Major Jackson, Caroline Leavitt, Ada Limón, Dani Shapiro, David Sheff, Garth Stein, Luis Alberto Urrea, Steve Yarbrough, and Lidia Yuknavitch. ALONE TOGETHER is divided into five sections: Love, Grief, Comfort, Grace, and Possibilities. The overarching theme is how this age of isolation and uncertainty is changing us as individuals and a society.
Reviews with the most likes.
This book really touched me. Since its main topic is COVID-19, I think every reader will relate to one (or more!) of the essays/stories in some way. I think it's beautiful how a team of writers can piece together such a beautiful collection of stories and touch so many readers with it.
Some stories were more relatable to me and touched me more than others, but overall every story had its own beauty and meaning. Each story was unique and honest and I loved that.
This review is published on my blog: https://literaryquicksand.com/2022/03/what-we-read-in-february-2022/
This idea behind this book is just so wonderful. All proceeds from Alone Together, which is a collection of essays and poems about pandemic life, go to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc), a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community. In short, it went to bookstores that struggled to stay open during the pandemic. What an awesome idea, and the content of the book totally delivers. I connected with some essays more than others, but appreciated it all. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is I kind of wish it would be all essays instead of essays plus poetry. Poetry that requires me to analyze each line to figure out what the author is really talking about is just not something I love