Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness
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Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kristen Radtke (Author, Narrator), Random House Audio (Publisher)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 219 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
See all formats and editions

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.

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  1. Listening Length
    1 hour and 58 minutes
  2. Author
    Kristen Radtke
  3. Narrator
    Kristen Radtke
  4. Audible release date
    July 13, 2021
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B08WFLDQML
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 1 hour and 58 minutes
Author Kristen Radtke
Narrator Kristen Radtke
Audible.com Release Date July 13, 2021
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B08WFLDQML
Best Sellers Rank #121,368 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#297 in Anthropology (Audible Books & Originals)
#559 in Sociology of Urban Areas
#827 in Sociology (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
219 global ratings
Haunting
5 Stars
Haunting
Kristen Radke delivers a haunting examination of loneliness in the modern world.It hits home, if sometimes too close to home.The only thing I'm waiting for now are answers - but there's no resolution for most of us.
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Top reviews from the United States

ktbug
5.0 out of 5 stars Great whether you like graphic novels or not
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
I love graphic novels; my wife is not a fan. But both of us loved this book. Part memoir, part layman’s scientific expose, this book examines loneliness in all its forms. aspects of this book that were likely written well before become poignant post pandemic, and the author examines pandemic effects as well. I’ve also read her debut graphic novel, which was good, but this book is another level entirely. I’ve read it 3x now. My only criticism, if I had one, is that the author focuses on the work of only a few scientists, though it’s probably because it helps weave a tighter narrative.
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Joseph W. Nichols
5.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction to the subject of loneliness
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book really opened my eyes to the issue of loneliness that is plaguing our country. From this book I used the bibliography to find more books on the subject. It is a fascinating subject. There aren't really answers as to what we can do it alleviate loneliness, but just being made aware of the challenge to modern day people is a beginning.
9 people found this helpful
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Nicholas Rienhardt
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Exploration Into Loneliness
Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness is one of my new favorite stories. I have always been a fan of graphic novels, as I believe wholeheartedly in the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words." This book by Kristen Radtke is the perfect representation of that phrase. I don't want to spoil too much, as I want everyone to experience this amazing tale for themselves. The parallels between the main character and her father are truly a wondrous experience. One panel speaks of a horrific experiment done on a poor monkey, while showing the poor monkey alone, curled up in a ball at the bottom of a well-like structure. Sorry, I'm trying to be as vague as possible in regards to the plot. It truly captures the utter despair that is loneliness. The tone remains somber and grounded in realism, and I really appreciate that. The best part of the story is by far the voice. Of course I cannot get to much into it as I don't want to get spoiler heavy, but it really carries the piece. You care about the narrator, and want them to succeed and conquer their loneliness. Overall, I think this is an excellent choice for readers looking for something a bit more emotionally impactful.
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Miles Prauer
5.0 out of 5 stars Important graphic novel!
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
Extremely informative, perceptive and moving use of graphic novel format. One of the few genuinely original treatments of solitude in humans.
6 people found this helpful
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Anne C. Harvey
3.0 out of 5 stars Ordered by mistake
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2023
Verified Purchase
It’s a picture book. Way too many pictures. I’m a grown-up who likes to read. I even hate those pictures at road crossings. Use your words!
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2021
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Beautifully written and illustrated book about something we all experience. Thank you for sewing the seeds of connection with this book.
8 people found this helpful
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Miles
5.0 out of 5 stars sad
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book made me sad, especially the parts reaching deeply in the Harlow studies and the inevitability of elderly loneliness.
7 people found this helpful
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Benjamin
5.0 out of 5 stars Bought this from Barnes&Noble
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2023
It was super good. Entertaining, strong narrative, relatable, you will definitely feel very normal after reading this graphic novel
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Top reviews from other countries

Julian Schmitz
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing read
Reviewed in Germany on March 22, 2024
Verified Purchase
Very creative approach to the topic of loneliness.
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Scottish Bookworm
5.0 out of 5 stars A topic close to my heart, well explained through the graphic novel format
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 16, 2021
Verified Purchase
As someone living alone for years and expecting to stay that way, it has been handy to buy titles about loneliness discreetly from Amazon rather than have to walk with them to the librarian or bookstore assistant, titles like Lonely: A Memoir by Emily White. This book was written in a mix of a science way but also a poetic way, and I learned a lot from it. The graphic novel format was a really great way of explaining the topic. It can offer comfort to both those newly isolated through Covid lockdowns and to those for whom loneliness was a part of their lives long before Covid restrictions. As I have said before about a couple of books which touched my heart, at the end of reading it I both felt less lonely and less weird for being lonely.
3 people found this helpful
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CheekyHusky
2.0 out of 5 stars A graphic novel with no context
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
Really don't get the hype about this one. It's a graphics novel but most of the graphics don't match the message.

The messages are shit you read on Facebook etc all the time. "Carrying a gun is the loneliest thing you can do. Only of we unarm ourselves can we truly not be lonely" is probably the pinnacle of messages this book has to offer.

2 stars because the irrelevant art is actually really good. And the quality of the book and cover is perfection.

Shame about the contents.
One person found this helpful
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