The Lonely Century
Coming Together in a World That's Pulling Apart
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The Lonely Century
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Narrated by:
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Noreena Hertz
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By:
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Noreena Hertz
About this listen
Even before a global pandemic introduced us to terms like social distancing, loneliness was already becoming the defining condition of the twenty-first century.
Carl, the Los Angeles media executive so lonely he pays to be cuddled. Eric, the Parisian baker finding community in the political far right. Peter, the London schoolboy distraught because no one 'likes' his Instagram posts.
All around us, the fabric of community is unravelling and our personal relationships are under threat. And technology isn't the sole culprit; equally to blame are the dismantling of civic institutions, the radical reorganisation of the workplace, mass migration to cities, and decades of neoliberal policies that placed self-interest above the collective good.
This is not merely a mental health crisis. Loneliness increases our risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia. Statistically, it's as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It's also an economic crisis, costing us billions annually, and a political crisis, with feelings of marginalisation fuelling divisiveness and extremism around the world.
But it's also one we have the power to reverse. Combining a decade of research with first-hand reporting, Noreena Hertz takes us from a 'how to communicate in real life' class at an Ivy League university to encounters in German beer gardens between people with radically different political views, from 'renting a friend' in Manhattan to nursing home residents knitting bonnets for their robot caregivers in Japan.
Offering bold solutions ranging from compassionate AI to innovative models for urban living to new ways of reinvigorating our neighbourhoods and reconciling our differences, The Lonely Century offers a hopeful and empowering vision for how to heal our fractured communities and restore connection in our lives.
©2020 Noreena Hertz (P)2020 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedCritic Reviews
"Indispensable, engaging and brilliant book about the pervasiveness of loneliness in the twenty-first century and its far-reaching impact...a hopeful book that couldn't be more important or timely." (Philippa Perry, author of The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read)
"Fascinating, timely and important...Read it, then pass it on to a friend. If you can find one." (Charlie Brooker)
"Passionately argued and deeply researched, this book is for everyone who wants to build a healthier and more connected world." (Arianna Huffington)
What listeners say about The Lonely Century
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steven Frew
- 07-08-2021
made me think
I bought this book by chance and when I first started reading it I didn't think I would get through it. but I persevered and I'm glad I did as I could draw parallels from this book with my own life. My online shopping and the ramifications that this has on someone working at Amazon.
my loneliness at work due to the open plan office and the inability for others to want to communicate with me . this book highlighted these issues and made me realise where we are going as a society.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- NatashaJ
- 18-03-2021
Excellent book
Excellent book outlining the many ways in which we’ve collectively managed to structure and reinforce a lonely society. But also the ways we can alleviate the negative effects.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 03-07-2021
Nice sentiments, not much substance
Before the pandemic apparently loneliness was the epidemic of concern and was literally killing people. But suddenly it became less important and we were convinced that it wasn't so bad and we could substitute online relationships for real ones without any harm. This book points out its not that simple and while online and robotic companionship might be a bandaid, loneliness is a severed artery. No ground breaking solutions - join a group activity, get your head out of your phone - and the whole 'capitalism is bad' tone gets weary. The benefits of micro interactions is worth further investigation.
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1 person found this helpful