Product Description

quirkyalone (kwur.kee.uh.lohn) n. adj.
A person who enjoys being single (but is not opposed to being in a relationship) and generally prefers to be alone rather than date for the sake of being in a couple. With unique traits and an optimistic spirit; a sensibility that transcends relationship status. Also adj. Of, relating to, or embodying quirkyalones.
See also: romantic, idealist, independent.

Are you a quirkyalone? Do you know someone who is?

• Do you believe life can be prosperous and great with or without a mate?
• Do you value your friendships as much as your romantic relationships?
• Do gut instincts guide your most important decisions?
• Are you often among the first on the dance floor?

Coupled or single, man or woman, social butterfly or shrinking violet, quirkyalones have walked among us, invisible until now. Through the coining of a new word, this tribe has been given a voice. Meet the quirkyalones.

Read about:

• The quirkyalone nation: where we live, what we do
• Quirkytogethers (quirkyalones who have entered long-term relationships)
• Sex and the single quirkyalone
• Romantic obsession: the dark side of the quirkyalone's romantic personality
• Quirkyalones throughout history (profiles in courage)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220966 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-01
• Released on: 2004-01-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 176 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780060578985
• Condition: USED - VERY GOOD
• Notes:
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
The morning after Cagen, founding editor of the independent magazine To-Do List, attended a "New Year's Eve Party Totally Devoid of [the] Midnight Kiss," she had what she calls a "spontaneous exclamation." She and her friends were "quirkyalones." The word came to her fully formed, and in this zany, untraditional book, she explains the word and the movement it spawned. "Quirkyalone stands in opposition to saccharine, archaic notions of romantic love. It stands for self-respect, independent spirit, creativity, true love, and confidence," Cagen writes, her words echoing with the uplifting message that it's not strange to be single; rather, single is the new norm. Cagen speaks out against dating for the sake of being in a couple and highlights the celebrities who fit and don't fit the quirkyalone mold (Oprah: "of course"; Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks: "[E]nemies of quirkyalones everywhere"). The primary text is spiced up with quotes that zip sideways along the margins, profiles of self-proclaimed quirkyalones, rough pencil drawings and jazzy lists, and the book ends on a suitably quirky note-with a short story Cagen wrote when she was 13. Fun, inspirational and provocative, this book is the perfect antidote to the Valentine's-inspired coupling craze.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"Fun, inspirational and provocative, this book is the perfect antidote to the Valentine’s-inspired coupling." -- Publishers Weekly

Review
"Cagen has put her finger on [society's] pulse.a positive spin on flying solo." (Toronto Globe & Mail )

"Fun, inspirational and provocative, this book is the perfect antidote to the Valentine's-inspired coupling." (Publishers Weekly )

"Cagen is not against setups or dating.She is emphatically not against sex. Rather, she is 'anti dull relationship.'" (--New York Times Sunday Styles, 11/29/03 )

"Cagen's up to something that could be as important for women (and men) as The Feminine Mystique was years ago..." (--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America )

"We need to give credence to the nonsexual relationships...the idea of having significant others instead of a significant other." (--Sasha Cagen, from US News & World Report, 10/6/03 )

Customer Reviews

Important but Fluffy
I thought this was a great book and actually has an important message. We no longer need to be defined by our relationship history, current status or future plans. I think we are living in extraordinary times where a significant portion of the population are starting to make choices like this and that the trend will grow in direct proportion to our increased freedom and flexibility around relationships. However, the book is way too cute and fluffy and probably in the next few years Ms Cagen will be putting out some more weightier books. The other thing was that half the "quirky alone" bios were of people in their 20's and frankly unless you've had the hairy experience of singledom in your 30's you don't know anything.

Laughed Out Loud in Recognition
I was thrilled to find this book after visiting the Quirkyalone website and discovering through taking their simple test I am VERY, VERY quirkyalone. All this time I just thought I was different than most people I met!!

I found this book comforting, hilarious, mind opening and connecting.

The biographies of other quirkyalones and the chapter on quirkytogethers was especially excellent, since being a quirkyalone does not mean you are a recluse, its more like you are comfortable with solitude AND enjoy company.

No wonder I never fared well on the Myers-Briggs when it came to "Am I Extroverted or Introverted?" I am quirkyalone! I love parties and people AND I need to be alone, too.

Ironically, I found this book in the "Relationships" section of the bookstore, which gave me a good laugh.

Read this book and give it as a gift to anyone you know who fits the profile. They will be glad, as I was, to know that I am no longer "alone" in my status as contented, peaceful quirkytogether quirkyalone!

Great bath reading!
After I bought the book, I took a bath and spent all day reading it. Writing about women and dating is usually so generic and boring-we must follow the rules or treat relationships like business deals. Uggh! This book creates a new term and a new liberating way to look at ourselves. Although I am in a relationship, I can identify with many of the ideas of quirkyalone-cultivating a relationship with myself comes first for me and I love the way she talks about how important friendship is in life. I used to read the author's To-Do List zine and this magazine shows her zinester spirit. Maybe some people want heavy sociological reading on relationships, but to me the do-it-yourself spirit rocks. It has lots of real people's stories, cool lists and just plain funny, strange elements-I hate how polished some books are so that you can't see any of the real stuff. This book has the lightness of a good women's magazine (without being a sell-out on how to be great in bed or land a guy) and the grittiness of a zine. I really liked hearing about Sasha's life and I identified with the other quirkyalones. This book made me happy.