The New York Times Bestseller from Surgeon General, Vivek H. Murthy,
MD.
"We have a massive, deadly epidemic hidden in plain sight: loneliness.
It is as harmful to health as smoking and far more common. And as his
gripping stories of the science and suffering make clear, we can do
something about it. Together is fascinating, moving, and essential
reading."--Atul Gawande, author of Being Mortal
"Together made me rethink much of what I believe about physical
health, public policy, and the human condition. By revealing America's
epidemic of loneliness--and then offering an array of remedies for the
condition--Murthy has done a great service, and made Together the most
important book you'll read this year."--Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York
Times bestselling author of When and Drive
The book we need NOW to avoid a social recession, Murthy's prescient
message is about the importance of human connection, the hidden impact
of loneliness on our health, and the social power of community.
Humans are social creatures: In this simple and obvious fact lies both
the problem and the solution to the current crisis of loneliness. In his
groundbreaking book, the 19th surgeon general of the United States Dr.
Vivek Murthy makes a case for loneliness as a public health concern: a
root cause and contributor to many of the epidemics sweeping the world
today from alcohol and drug addiction to violence to depression and
anxiety. Loneliness, he argues, is affecting not only our health, but
also how our children experience school, how we perform in the
workplace, and the sense of division and polarization in our society.
But, at the center of our loneliness is our innate desire to connect. We
have evolved to participate in community, to forge lasting bonds with
others, to help one another, and to share life experiences. We are,
simply, better together.
The lessons in Together have immediate relevance and application.
These four key strategies will help us not only to weather this crisis,
but also to heal our social world far into the future.
During Murthy's research for Together, he found that there were few
issues that elicited as much enthusiastic interest from both very
conservative and very liberal members of Congress, from young and old
people, or from urban and rural residents alike. Loneliness was
something so many people have known themselves or have seen in the
people around them. In the book, Murthy also shares his own deeply
personal experiences with the subject--from struggling with loneliness
in school, to the devastating loss of his uncle who succumbed to his own
loneliness, as well as the important example of community and connection
that his parents modeled. Simply, it's a universal condition that
affects all of us directly or through the people we love--now more than
ever.
