Seek You

A Journey Through American Loneliness

By: Kristen Radtke

Narrated by: Kristen Radtke

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

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, 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.

©2021 Kristen Radtke (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: TIME, NPR, Boston Globe, Buzzfeed, New York Public Library, Electric Literature, Kirkus

A Goodreads Choice Award Nominee
Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction
A Finalist for the Kirkus Prize in Nonfiction
Longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award
Nominated for Eisner Award in the Best Reality-Based Work category

“[Radtke] portrays loneliness not as innate or natural so much as socialized, filtered through and irradiated by culture, politics, and media. For her, the feeling is shaped by the imperfect conditions in which we live . . . Paging through Radtke’s book, I was again pulled in by the deserted streets and darkened rooms, and by the anonymous, sifting crowds. Ambience can go where words cannot. One can sink deep into the images of Seek You.” —Katy Waldman, The New Yorker

“Seamlessly flipping between stories from her personal life and examples from pop culture and history, Radtke explores the relationship between loneliness and longing, and what happens when we shut ourselves off from the rest of the world. It’s a haunting read told through Radtke’s spare prose and often devastating graphics, coalescing into a powerful examination of why it can feel so hard to connect with other people.” —TIME

“Kristen Radtke’s Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness defies categorization — and it does so in spectacular fashion . . . The beauty of Seek You is that it feels like a communal experience. Reading this book is reading about ourselves and our lives . . . The art is superb and each section uses different colors to set the mood, but words take center stage more often than the art, and that turns the art into the perfect companion . . . Seek You accomplishes a lot and its unique hybrid nature makes it a must-read.” —Gabino Iglesias, NPR

Loneliness

Everyone feels it. Some of us acknowledge it. And many of us hide it. It seems technology has provided a cure and worsened the prevalence at the same time. The web was supposed to connect us but it seems to have isolated us. We are so siloed now that loneliness is just part of everyday life.

Read twice. Will read again

Although I remembered the scientific work, I still wanted to read again for the companionship.

It's tough to go through it, but it was worth it

I really enjoyed the facts shared in this book. The studies applied in different fields felt enlightening...almost comforting. It's not just me, It's all of us. It's science.

It has hard to go though this book in more than one way. Specially with the author's narrative style. It was too fast for the harshness of the topic. It need time and depth. It was painful but it was worth it in the end.

I would have like to see photos of the characters mentioned, or persona photos of the author of what was shared.