Singled Out established Bella DePaulo's place as "America's foremost thinker and writer on the single experience." DePaulo draws from scientific research, popular culture, and the experiences of single people to reveal the untold success story of people who are single. Yes, it is true that that singles are stereotyped and stigmatized. But they are not victims. The author, a Harvard PhD, looks at the studies of single people and finds that the stereotypes of single people – for example, that they are unhappy, lonely, and self-centered – are just myths.
Singled Out includes chapters on single women, single men, single parents, and older single people. There are also chapters debunking various myths about single people. In the introduction, DePaulo describes the important place of single people in contemporary society. Nearly half of all American adults are not married (they are divorced or widowed or they have always been single) and the age at which people first marry (among those who do marry) has been increasing almost every year.
Singled Out has been discussed in some of the most prestigious newspapers and magazines in the U.S. and around the world. Bella DePaulo has appeared on national and international television and radio programs. (See her biography on this site and the media section of her website, http://belladepaulo.com/singles-research-and-writing/#5.) Chapters from Singled Out are sometimes assigned in university courses.
The book is written with the high standards of an accomplished social scientist, and the wit of a good story-teller. The Washington Post described Singled Out as a "hilarious, superbly researched diatribe in favor of living well single." Another major newspaper said, “Fascinating . .this book could hardly have come at a better time. As much as societal adulation of the couple discriminates against single people, Singled Out suggests that it can also undermine marriage.”
The book "Going Solo" says that DePaulo is "the minister of truth for the solo nation." The author of "The New Single Woman" said this about Singled Out: “Elegant analysis, wonderfully detailed examples, and clear and witty prose…A must-read for all single adults, their friends and families, as well as social scientists and policy advocates.”
Genre: SELF-HELP / GeneralAcross both print and ebook versions, Singled Out has sold more than 9,200 copies in English. There are also Chinese and Korean paperback translations, and a Japanese translation is in progress.
When the paperback edition of Singled Out was first released, on October 30, 2007, it had an overall Amazon (U.S.) ranking of 1,713. It was #3 in Health, Mind, & Body>Gender; #21 in Health, Mind, Body>Interpersonal Relationships, and #11 in Nonfiction>Marriage & Family.
About six months after the hardcover was first released, on May 2, 2007, Singled Out had a ranking of #583 on the Canadian Amazon site (amazon.ca).
To be stereotyped is to be prejudged. Tell new acquaintances you are single and often, they will think they already know quite a lot about you. They understand your emotions: You are miserable and lonely and envious of couples. They know what motivates you: More than anything else in the world, you want to become coupled. If you are a single person of a certain age, they also know why you are not coupled: You are commitment-phobic, or too picky, or you have baggage. Or maybe they figure you are gay and they think that’s a problem, too. // From knowing nothing more about you than your status as a single person, other people sometimes think they already know all about your family: You don’t have one. They also know about the important person or persons in your life: You don’t have anyone. In fact, they know all about your life: You don’t have a life. // Because you don’t have anyone and you don’t have a life, you can be asked to stay late at work or do all of the traveling over the holidays. When you are a guest in other people’s homes, they will know where you can sleep: on the couch in the living room rather than in a bedroom with a door that shuts. // They know how your life will unfold: You will grow old alone. Then you will die alone. // Are you a single person who does not recognize yourself in many of these descriptions? So am I. I am happy, I have a life, and there is no way I will grow old alone (a matter that has little to do with having a serious coupled relationship or even living alone). That’s just for starters. But it is also exactly the point: The conventional wisdom about people who are single is a mythology, a gloss. It is not an accurate description of the textured and varied lives of real people who are single.
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Chinese
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Already translated.
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Japanese
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Translation in progress.
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Gabriel Santos
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Mariana de Mendieta
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