Singled Out: How Singles Are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After.
Bella DePaulo, Ph.D.
St. Martin's Press
New York, New York
Copyright 2006
ISBN-13: 978-0-312-34081-0
ISBN-10: 0-312-34081-8
Let me begin with my own personal story.
I had worked with a person, we'll call this person Mitch, for several years. I was willing to work late hours, weekends, holidays, and jump through any number of hoops necessary to keep things running smoothly in Mitch's department. Mitch treated me well with both dignity and respect. At least that's what I thought.
One, bright, Monday morning, I arrived at work and soon overheard another employee talking about how she and her boyfriend had enjoyed a dinner party over the weekend. She and others were sharing a recipe. I learned that the recipe came from Mitch and that it was a favorite entrée of several couples invited to Mitch's house the previous Saturday night.
The people Mitch had invited had never done anything for Mitch, ever. However, they were couples. The single person--me--was not part of a couple. I concluded that was the reason I was not invited.
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In this eye-opening book, Bella DePaulo shows how single people can avoid some of the grief that visited itself on me. DePaulo shows how single people can live a happy life with no regrets. In the process, she debunks many of the qualities that are automatically imbued upon those of us who are single. My favorite myth DePaulo debunks is, "You will grow old alone and you will die in a room by yourself where no one will find you for weeks."
I agree with the following statement from the book's jacket:
"Filled with bracing bursts of truth and dazzling dashes of humor, Singled Out is a spirited and provocative read for the single, the married, and everyone in between."
In conclusion, if you are a single person, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. (The following link takes you to this book at Amazon.)
Singled Out: How Singles are Stereotyped, Stigmatized, and Ignored, and Still Live Happily Ever After
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