Celebrating Singles – September 23, 2023
Did you know that 46.4% of U.S. adults are single according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics? That’s 117.6 million Americans aged 18 and over – nearly every other adult you meet or know – who are either never married, divorced or widowed. National Singles Day, observed on the last day of Unmarried and Single Americans Week, acknowledges and celebrates the vibrant lives of all the single people out there – in our families, workplaces, friend groups and communities – we see you and we appreciate you!
A few recommended must-reads for the single-savvy – dig in!
Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After
Bella DePaulo
Singled Out is the defacto must-read for singles of all stripes–whether by choice or circumstance, young, old or in between. Bella DePaulo has her finger pressed on the pulse of what it’s like living single amidst all the “matrimania” of our marriage-focused world. She brazenly debunks the myths and labels society has cast upon single people and fiercely accerts the legitimacy of the lives so many of us have been leading successfully and happily for decades.
Spinster: Making a Life of One’s Own
Kate Bolick
“…a revelatory and slyly erudite look at the pleasures and possibilities of remaining single. Using her own experiences as a starting point, journalist and cultural critic Kate Bolick invites us into her carefully considered, passionately lived life, weaving together the past and present to examine why she—along with over 100 million American women, whose ranks keep growing—remains unmarried.” (Amazon)
Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone
Eric Klinenberg
“Klinenberg shows that most single dwellers—whether in their twenties or eighties—are deeply engaged in social and civic life. There’s even evidence that people who live alone enjoy better mental health and have more environmentally sustainable lifestyles. Drawing on more than three hundred in-depth interviews, Klinenberg presents a revelatory examination of the most significant demographic shift since the baby boom and offers surprising insights on the benefits of this epochal change. (Amazon)
She I Dare Not Name: A Spinster’s Meditations on Life
Donna Ward
This series of insightful and whimsical vignettes are at once brave, amusing and vindicating. We can all relate to periods of being alone–of loneliness and solitude. This book takes us further in. What does it mean to suddenly realize the single status you thought was temporary appears to be sticking? And how does one navigate the social disconnect of carrying on alone, particularly as a woman, in a couple-centric world? This book is a refreshing journey into one woman’s answer to all of that, and to the haunting uncertainties so many of us face.
Watch Jackie Shannon Hollis’ interview with Donna Ward »
Interview begins at 08:15
All The Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation
Rebecca Traister
“The New York Times bestselling investigation into the sexual, economic, and emotional lives of women is “an informative and thought-provoking book for anyone—not just the single ladies—who want to gain a greater understanding of this pivotal moment in the history of the United States.” (The New York Times Book Review)