From Powells.com
Our favorite books of 2020-2021.
Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.
Staff Pick
Radtke's amazing book examines loneliness from various angles — not just her own personal stories, but also the psychological studies of monkeys, television laugh tracks, her father's CB radio obsession, social media, cuddlers for hire, and much more. Radtke seamlessly splices interesting and stunning anecdotes about how humans live with solitude, sadness, and worse. Her art is consistently engaging, with intimate close-ups and haunting long shots. Recommended By Kevin S., Powells.com
In Seek You, Kristen Radtke approaches the epidemic of American loneliness from a variety of angles. Each view is taken with tremendous empathy and conveyed with Radtke’s engaging and elegant illustrations. Seek You is a thoughtful exploration of a complex problem that offers understanding, not easy answers. Recommended By Keith M., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
From the acclaimed author of Imagine Wanting Only This--a timely and moving meditation on isolation and longing, both as individuals and as a society - One of Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021
"Radtke shines her brilliant light into modern America's experiment in loneliness with this supremely elegant and devastating book. —Lauren Groff, author of Florida
"If you've ever felt alone in America, this is the book you have been waiting to hold, and the one that will hold you back." —Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk
There is a silent epidemic in America: loneliness. Shameful to talk about and often misunderstood, loneliness is everywhere, from the most major of metropolises to the smallest of towns.
In Seek You, Kristen Radtke's wide-ranging exploration of our inner lives and public selves, Radtke digs into the ways in which we attempt to feel closer to one another, and the distance that remains. Through the lenses of gender and violence, technology and art, Radtke ushers us through a history of loneliness and longing, and shares what feels impossible to share.
Ranging from the invention of the laugh-track to the rise of Instagram, the bootstrap-pulling cowboy to the brutal experiments of Harry Harlow, Radtke investigates why we engage with each other, and what we risk when we turn away. With her distinctive, emotionally-charged drawings and deeply empathetic prose, Kristen Radtke masterfully shines a light on some of our most vulnerable and sublime moments, and asks how we might keep the spaces between us from splitting entirely.
Review
"Deeply affecting....Radtke is an engaging and thoughtful guide through our fear of being alone....Superb. A rigorous, vulnerable book on a subject that is too often neglected." Kirkus (Starred Review)
Review
"Gripping....Combining personal narrative with social science, evolutionary biology, and pop culture analysis, Radtke's work is innovative in form and painfully relevant in content." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Provocative and companionable, this will spark conversation and, undoubtedly, connection among readers." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"An insightful and compassionate investigation of loneliness." Library Journal (Starred Review)
About the Author
Kristen Radtke is the author of the graphic nonfiction book Imagine Wanting Only This. The recipient of a 2019 Whiting Creative Nonfiction Grant, Radtke is the art director and deputy publisher of The Believer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Marie Claire, The Atlantic, The Guardian, GQ, Vogue, and Oxford American, among many other publications.