Some 40% of adults say that they're lonely, compared to about 20% in the 1980s, meaning that there is "a full-blown loneliness epidemic, one that would only become worse with the arrival of a virus that forced us apart." Experts agree that friendship is vital for physical and mental health--the human species thrives on social connections--which is what led Billy Baker's editor to ask him to do an article about how many middle-aged Americans are suffering from a dearth of friendship.
Baker, a writer at the Boston Globe, was 40 at the time, and had settled into a comfortable routine of work and family. His editor's request, however, made Baker realize how rarely he actually hung out with his friends and started him out on a quest to rectify the situation, which he documents in We Need to Hang Out: A Memoir of Making Friends. Baker is specifically writing to the middle-aged male experience, but his advice is broadly applicable. Entertaining and informative, We Need to Hang Out is a timely, fascinating look at the crisis of loneliness in modern society. Baker walks readers through some of his attempts at making new friends and reconnecting with the pals of his college days. He shares funny anecdotes, and painfully awkward moments where no one shows up to an invitation, but slowly his adventures lead to some genuine friendships, which is truly encouraging for anyone who has ever needed a friend. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans, Tucson, Ariz.