Best Selling Books by Eric Klinenberg

“A comprehensive, entertaining, and compelling argument for how rebuilding social infrastructure can help heal divisions in our society and move us forward.”—Jon Stewart NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • “Engaging.”—Mayor Pete Buttigieg, The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) We are living in a time of deep divisions. Americans are sorting themselves along racial, religious, and cultural lines, leading to a level of polarization that the country hasn’t seen since the Civil War. Pundits and politicians are calling for us to come together and find common purpose. But how, exactly, can this be done? In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg suggests a way forward. He believes that the future of democratic societies rests not simply on shared values but on shared spaces: the libraries, childcare centers, churches, and parks where crucial connections are formed. Interweaving his own research with examples from around the globe, Klinenberg shows how “social infrastructure” is helping to solve some of our most pressing societal challenges. Richly reported and ultimately uplifting, Palaces for the People offers a blueprint for bridging our seemingly unbridgeable divides. LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION “Just brilliant!”—Roman Mars, 99% Invisible “The aim of this sweeping work is to popularize the notion of ‘social infrastructure''—the ‘physical places and organizations that shape the way people interact''. . . . Here, drawing on research in urban planning, behavioral economics, and environmental psychology, as well as on his own fieldwork from around the world, [Eric Klinenberg] posits that a community’s resilience correlates strongly with the robustness of its social infrastructure. The numerous case studies add up to a plea for more investment in the spaces and institutions (parks, libraries, childcare centers) that foster mutual support in civic life.”—The New Yorker “Palaces for the People—the title is taken from the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s description of the hundreds of libraries he funded—is essentially a calm, lucid exposition of a centuries-old idea, which is really a furious call to action.”—New Statesman “Clear-eyed . . . fascinating.”—Psychology Today

With eye-opening statistics, original data, and vivid portraits of people who live alone, renowned sociologist Eric Klinenberg upends conventional wisdom to deliver the definitive take on how the rise of going solo is transforming the American experience. Klinenberg shows that most single dwellers—whether in their twenties or eighties—are deeply engaged in social and civic life. There''s even evidence that people who live alone enjoy better mental health and have more environmentally sustainable lifestyles. Drawing on more than three hundred in-depth interviews, Klinenberg presents a revelatory examination of the most significant demographic shift since the baby boom and offers surprising insights on the benefits of this epochal change.

The "compelling" story behind the 1995 Chicago weather disaster that killed hundreds—and what it revealed about our broken society ( Boston Globe). On July 13, 1995, Chicagoans awoke to a blistering day in which the temperature would reach 106 degrees. The heat index—how the temperature actually feels on the body—would hit 126. When the heat wave broke a week later, city streets had buckled; records for electrical use were shattered; and power grids had failed, leaving residents without electricity for up to two days. By July 20, over seven hundred people had perished—twenty times the number of those struck down by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Heat waves kill more Americans than all other natural disasters combined. Until now, no one could explain either the overwhelming number or the heartbreaking manner of the deaths resulting from the 1995 Chicago heat wave. Meteorologists and medical scientists have been unable to account for the scale of the trauma, and political officials have puzzled over the sources of the city''s vulnerability. In Heat Wave, Eric Klinenberg takes us inside the anatomy of the metropolis to conduct what he calls a "social autopsy," examining the social, political, and institutional organs of the city that made this urban disaster so much worse than it ought to have been. He investigates why some neighborhoods experienced greater mortality than others, how city government responded, and how journalists, scientists, and public officials reported and explained these events. Through years of fieldwork, interviews, and research, he uncovers the surprising and unsettling forms of social breakdown that contributed to this human catastrophe as hundreds died alone behind locked doors and sealed windows, out of contact with friends, family, community groups, and public agencies. As this incisive and gripping account demonstrates, the widening cracks in the social foundations of American cities made visible by the 1995 heat wave remain in play in America''s cities today—and we ignore them at our peril. Includes photos and a new preface on meeting the challenges of climate change in urban centers " Heat Wave is not so much a book about weather, as it is about the calamitous consequences of forgetting our fellow citizens. . . . A provocative, fascinating book, one that applies to much more than weather disasters." — Chicago Sun-Times "It''s hard to put down Heat Wave without believing you''ve just read a tale of slow murder by public policy." — Salon "A classic. I can''t recommend it enough." —Chris Hayes

The #1 New York Times Bestseller “An engaging look at the often head-scratching, frequently infuriating mating behaviors that shape our love lives.” —Refinery 29 A hilarious, thoughtful, and in-depth exploration of the pleasures and perils of modern romance from Aziz Ansari, the star of Master of None and one of this generation’s sharpest comedic voices At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. This seems standard now, but it’s wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. Single people today have more romantic options than at any point in human history. With technology, our abilities to connect with and sort through these options are staggering. So why are so many people frustrated? Some of our problems are unique to our time. “Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?” “Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos?!” “My girlfriend just got a message from some dude named Nathan. Who’s Nathan? Did he just send her a photo of his penis? Should I check just to be sure?” But the transformation of our romantic lives can’t be explained by technology alone. In a short period of time, the whole culture of finding love has changed dramatically. A few decades ago, people would find a decent person who lived in their neighborhood. Their families would meet and, after deciding neither party seemed like a murderer, they would get married and soon have a kid, all by the time they were twenty-four. Today, people marry later than ever and spend years of their lives on a quest to find the perfect person, a soul mate. For years, Aziz Ansari has been aiming his comic insight at modern romance, but for Modern Romance, the book, he decided he needed to take things to another level. He teamed up with NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg and designed a massive research project, including hundreds of interviews and focus groups conducted everywhere from Tokyo to Buenos Aires to Wichita. They analyzed behavioral data and surveys and created their own online research forum on Reddit, which drew thousands of messages. They enlisted the world’s leading social scientists, including Andrew Cherlin, Eli Finkel, Helen Fisher, Sheena Iyengar, Barry Schwartz, Sherry Turkle, and Robb Willer. The result is unlike any social science or humor book we’ve seen before. In Modern Romance, Ansari combines his irreverent humor with cutting-edge social science to give us an unforgettable tour of our new romantic world.

Describes how the impact of corporate ownership and control of local media has transformed American political and cultural life, leading to an age of canned programming and virtual DJs.

A meticulously reported, character-driven, unforgettable investigation of a time when nothing was certain and everything was at stake, by the acclaimed sociologist and best-selling author Eric Klinenberg “A gripping, deeply moving account of a signal year in modern history, told through the stories of seven ordinary people. Klinenberg’s narrative shows how the legacy of that year continues to shape us, our politics and our personal lives.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies • "I can easily see this book being invaluable in the future."—Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times 2020 will go down alongside 1914, 1929, and 1968 as one of the most consequential years in history. This riveting and affecting book is the first attempt to capture the full human experience of that fateful time. At the heart of 2020 are seven vivid profiles of ordinary New Yorkers—including an elementary school principal, a bar manager, a subway custodian, and a local political aide—whose experiences illuminate how Americans, and people across the globe, reckoned with 2020. Through these poignant stories, we revisit our own moments of hope and fear, the profound tragedies and losses in our communities, the mutual aid networks that brought us together, and the social movements that hinted at the possibilities of a better world. Eric Klinenberg vividly captures these stories, casting them against the backdrop of a high-stakes presidential election, a surge of misinformation, rising distrust, and raging protests. We move from the epicenter in New York City to Washington and London, where political leaders made the crisis so much more lethal than it had to be. We bear witness to epidemiological battles in Wuhan and Beijing, along with the initiatives of scientists, citizens, and policy makers in Australia, Japan, and Taiwan, who worked together to save lives. Klinenberg allows us to see 2020—and, ultimately, ourselves—with unprecedented clarity and empathy. His book not only helps us reckon with what we lived through, but also with the challenges we face before the next crisis arrives. "A masterful piece of rigorous journalism, rigorous sociology, and incredible story-telling."—Chris Hayes, MSNBC News

Vivimos en una época de profundas divisiones. Los estadounidenses se están clasificando por líneas raciales, religiosas y culturales, lo que lleva a un nivel de polarización nunca visto desde la guerra civil. Expertos y políticos nos piden que nos unamos y encontremos un propósito común. Pero ¿cómo, exactamente, se puede hacer esto? En Palacios del pueblo, el sociólogo Eric Klinenberg sugiere un camino. Cree que el futuro de las sociedades democráticas no se basa simplemente en valores compartidos, sino en espacios compartidos: las bibliotecas, las guarderías, las iglesias y los parques donde se forman conexiones cruciales. Entretejiendo su propia investigación con ejemplos de todo el mundo, Klinenberg muestra cómo la «infraestructura social» está ayudando a resolver algunos de nuestros desafíos sociales más urgentes. Ampliamente investigado y escrito de forma estimulante, Palacios del pueblo ofrece un plan para salvar nuestras divisiones aparentemente infranqueables.

全民滑手機的時代， 每個角落都充滿尋找真愛的人…… 這本終極戀愛指南，讓你今天就脫隊， 一路幸福到爆﹗ 機會那麼多，為何還單身？ 比老派約會還坎坷的網路世代愛情規則， 你一定要知道！ 馬克 職場圖文作家 翻白眼吧！溫蒂妮小姐。 插畫家 捧腹推薦 ☆紐約時報暢銷書 ☆Goodreads 2015年最佳Nonfiction 婚姻曾是一種經濟制度，約兩個世代以前的男女，在20出頭就相親嫁娶住家附近的鄰居，生兒育女、建立社會地位、綿延家族傳統，並提供陪伴。進入全民滑手機的新世代，對伴侶的要求不再只有傳宗接代與安穩溫飽，另一半還必須是你的靈魂伴侶、火辣情人。 網路世代對伴侶的要求，過去可能需要一整個村莊才能提供：給我財產、身分、安穩的生活；同時也給我超凡、神祕、驚奇的感受；讓我安適，也讓我激動；讓我覺得新鮮，也讓我覺得熟悉；我不要意外，但我要驚喜。 理論上只要夠幸運，找到靈魂伴侶，生命就會改觀，從此一路幸福到爆。 問題是，靈魂伴侶可難找了。 阿茲．安薩里，當代最敏銳的喜劇泰斗之一， 以幽默的筆觸深入探討新世代戀愛甘苦。 人生走到某個階段，不免就要踏上追尋愛情的旅程。我們反覆經歷與異性的相識、約會、戀愛、分手，都是為了覓得相守一生的伴侶。這個過程已可說是稀鬆平常，卻與短短十年前的情況大相逕庭。今日的單身人士所享有的戀愛機會之多，是人類歷史上之最。 短短數年之內，尋覓愛侶的方式已產生巨幅改變。數十年前，許多人結婚的對象就只是看起來還不錯的隔壁鄰居，雙方家人先見個面，確認對方應該不是殺人犯之後就結婚，然後很快生孩子，全都在22歲之前完成。時至今日，一般人逐漸晚婚，因此也有更多時間去尋覓完美對象、靈魂伴侶。 作者阿茲．安薩里多年以來均以新世代戀愛為喜劇表演主軸。為了撰寫此書，他將研究工作提升到另一個層次，與紐約大學社會學家艾瑞克．克林南柏格合作設計一項大規模研究計畫，包含數百次的訪問與主題座談，地點遍布東京、巴黎、布宜諾斯艾利斯、杜哈、洛杉磯、紐約、威奇托等城市。他們也研析多項行為研究資料與意見調查，並且藉由reddit網站的平台建立分類主題論壇，獲得數以千計的貼文響應。 本書以針針見血的幽默語言呈現當代社會科學研究結果，對當代戀愛現象的闡述方式不僅是創舉，還能時時搏君一笑。

Viviamo in un periodo di profonde divisioni. La polarizzazione e le frammentazioni su base culturale, razziale e religiosa stanno raggiungendo livelli mai visti. In questo volume, Eric Klinenberg ci suggerisce una via da seguire. Argomenta come il futuro delle società democratiche si basi non solo su valori condivisi, ma su spazi condivisi: biblioteche, centri per l''infanzia, librerie, chiese, sinagoghe e parchi dove si formano connessioni cruciali, che possono anche salvare delle vite. Questi sono luoghi in cui le persone si ritrovano, stringono amicizie e rafforzano l''intera comunità. Klinenberg li definisce "infrastrutture sociali" e ci dimostra come siano elementi chiave per una società che prosperi e sia armoniosa. Klinenberg ci porta in giro per il mondo ‒ da una scuola galleggiante in Bangladesh a un incubatore creativo a Chicago, da un campo da calcio nel Queens a una chiesa evangelica a Houston ‒ per mostrare come le infrastrutture sociali stiano aiutando a risolvere alcune delle nostre sfide più urgenti: l''isolamento, la criminalità, le dipendenze e la polarizzazione politica. Scritto da un professore di sociologia, già autore di diversi bestseller nella classifica del New York Times, il volume espone in modo divulgativo una ricetta per il futuro delle nostre società e per la salvaguardia della democrazia.

American Public Radio nominated the best book of the year. Amazon bookstore has been reverberating continuously, and it has been recommended by readers with a high score of 4.6 stars. A sociologist from New York University responded to the ills of the times. The book of the right medicine for the atomization and desertification society. The social space that everyone can share is the key solution for regaining the close connection and vitality of civil society! For a democratic society to be able to operate continuously and soundly, it is not only the pursuit of common values, but whether the people have the space to communicate is also very important!

《獨居時代》、《沒有人是一座孤島》好評前書作者 暨 NYU熱血社會學家殿堂級社科議題新作！ 美國亞馬遜書店編輯精選好書 ◤我們得打破緘默，去面對疫情中眾所避而不談的社會問題。◢ ┤盛讚推薦├ 林子倫｜未來地球中華民國委員會委員 林宗弘｜中央研究院社會學研究所研究員 林文源｜國立清華大學通識教育中心教授、「記疫」人文社會團隊推動者 陳方隅｜美國臺灣觀測站主編、東吳大學政治系助理教授 陳端容｜美國哥倫比亞大學社會學博士、國立臺灣大學公共衛生學院健康行為與社區科學研究所教授 陳嘉新｜國立陽明交通大學科技與社會研究所教授 ❏為什麼2020年，包含臺灣在內的一些政府能建立起官方、科學界、人民之間的信任，卻有其他國家走上截然不同的道路？ ❏為何在某些地方，「口罩」會是文化、政治、肢體衝突的爭端，而在其他地區卻未受到太多反對及爭議，反而廣為民眾所接受？ ❏是什麼讓社群在災害中凝聚？什麼導致分崩離析？面對未來可能發生的災變與危機，身為命運共同體的人民該如何幫助彼此安然生存？ 我們得探究病毒學，才能理解導致致命COVID-19疫情的新型冠狀病毒：嚴重急性呼吸道症候群冠狀病毒2型。 我們得仰賴經濟學，才能解釋何以某些經濟紓困政策比其他舉措還要有效。至於「社會」因素，則在決定誰生、誰死、 誰享豐饒、誰得挨餓、誰會身心俱疲、誰能找到新的力量等各個層面上扮演了關鍵角色。 如果說，百年大疫諸多的統計數字讓人對這種大規模死亡日漸無感，也許換個角度， 挖掘比數字更為深刻的故事與市井生命經驗，我們得以將社會的全貌與進步方向看得清晰一些。 本書作者為美國社會學者艾瑞克．克林南柏格，他在20年來的研究工作中，持續探討重大危機為社會帶來的啟示。 2020年，克林南柏格居住的紐約恰好就是全球疫病大流行的致命熱點，紐約在當時一度進入「暫停」狀態。 他利用疫情之初這段時間仔細觀察「大蘋果」的曼哈頓、布朗克斯、史泰登島、皇后區、布魯克林 這五大行政區之間的情況差異，也從每個行政區找出疫情中個人經驗可供見微知著的居民，進行深入訪談。 接受作者為本書所做訪談的幾位紐約客包括── 一位小學校長，其身處的社區是頭幾個真正意識到疫情威脅的區域；一位政府職員，她的工作是協助當地醫院取得所需資源並保護該區選民的生命安全；一位酒吧老闆，他因疫情而生計出了問題，難以讓家庭獲得溫飽；一位在疫情中建立起互助網絡的退休檢察官；還有一對維繫市政不可或缺的重點工作者（essential worker）伴侶，兩人於疫情期間為兼顧職務與照顧膝下幼子而蠟燭多頭燒。 本書有細緻的微觀經驗書寫，也放眼全球，網羅世界各地在疫情下最即時的統計資料、研究報告與實況分析。 書中各自獨立的個人生命故事與作者專業的社會學宏觀視野緊密交織、相輔相成。疫情看似逐漸遠離，但在大疫過後， 一切還有待你我努力爭取改變。人類迴避不了以下問題：是什麼讓社群在災害中凝聚？什麼導致分崩離析？ 我們有沒有能力面對下一次重大危機？解開這些問題的重要性超越了疫情本身，與我們的相關性也不會僅限於2020這一年。 趁一切還來得及，我們必須作答──「疫情教會我們什麼？」 【國內推薦好評】 1995年7月芝加哥發生攝氏43度的熱浪導致739人熱衰竭死亡，社會學家艾瑞克．克林南柏格2002年專書顯示，這並非史上唯一熱浪，1930年曾發生類似事件卻沒這麼多人熱死。他發現芝加哥貧富差距與犯罪率比65年前更嚴重，以前居民夏夜常睡在房子外面乘涼，守望相助，1995年卻沒人敢這樣做。克林南柏格新作《疫情教會我們什麼？》比較1918年大流感與2020年全球疫情，揭露美國社會脆弱度惡化與政治分化的殘酷現實，值得關注疫情研究的讀者借鏡。 ──林宗弘／中央研究院社會學研究所研究員 「疫情教會我們什麼？」本書作者以七位紐約人的經歷，並旁及包括臺灣在內的各國政策相關議題，譜寫全球疫情並提出這個重要的問題。儘管疫情已緩，但殷鑑不遠，在全球緊密互動且共同承受諸多風險的當前社會，這是永不過時的重要問題。 如作者點到，臺灣在疫情初期即靠著對全球與國內公布警訊，「有效地創造出相關的公共領域」，本書深入地以個人生命交織疫情事件、政策、科學與社會爭議的公共性，譜寫紐約、美國乃至多國的疫情樣貌。 閱讀本書勾起我推動「記疫」時的許多心得與經驗。《記疫》是在疫情期間，以落實人文社會視野的公共性為核心的一項社會溝通與記錄工作。成果包括上千位臺灣各領域人社學者與公民的紀錄、分析短文與紀錄片。其中也提出許多重要問題，包括產業根留臺灣的重要性與挑戰有哪些？如何強化社會互信與團結？科學證據與災難治理的權衡之道為何？緊急救難政策的法理根據與保護人權，兩者怎麼權衡？如何降低對弱勢階層與群體的衝擊？甚至於該怎樣比較不同國家、政體或各層級政府治理的能與不能？以及最重要的：面對重大危機與爭議時，人與人、人與環境，以及人與病毒等其他物種之間如何共存？這些在在都直接或間接地呼應《記疫》中收錄的吉光片羽，更是必須持續追問、不容遺忘的課題。 儘管紐約、臺灣兩地脈絡不同，他山之石可以攻錯，從疫情帶來的全球鉅變、各國因應調適，乃至於後疫情時代開啟的全球新地緣政治，本書諸多面向都有助於反思本地社會當年的恐慌、爭議與激情。謹此推薦讀者參照閱讀，必能有更多體悟。 ──林文源／國立清華大學通識教育中心教授、「記疫」人文社會團隊推動者 Covid-19疫情衝擊全世界人們的生活，在臺灣的我們所受到的影響程度「相對」是比較輕微的，但也引起了很多的震盪。本書帶我們來看受到巨大衝擊的美國是如何面對這樣的危機，整個社會的各個層面、各個機構都必須面對與病毒之間貨真價實的「戰鬥」。書中除了從小人物的視角出發來描寫整個社會怎麼因應危機外，也討論了其他國家的做法，而臺灣正是屬於被高度讚揚的一類。這一波疫情過去，但我們隨時必須要準備好面對下一個未知的危機，這是屬於全民的公衛基本功。而本書正是透過社會學家精采的文筆，提供不可或缺的紀錄、批判，以及省思。 ──陳方隅／美國臺灣觀測站主編、東吳大學政治系助理教授 本書通過不同人物在COVID-19疫情中的親身經歷，生動地展現了環境變動對個人生活的深刻影響。這是一本不可錯過的佳作，深入探討健康與社會之間的緊密聯繫，帶領讀者重新審視我們的生活方式和社會結構。 ──陳端容／美國哥倫比亞大學社會學博士、國立臺灣大學公共衛生學院健康行為與社區科學研究所教授 2020年起的新冠疫情，對於社會局勢發展以及人群生命處境有什麼影響？這個歷史事件又可以帶來哪些啟發？這是社會學家克林南柏格在這本書裡面想要告訴讀者的兩件事情。他讓個人的微觀經驗與社會的巨觀分析交織進行，藉以勾勒出疫情發展以來的各種大小面向。本書內容雖然有美國中心的格局限制，但臺灣、澳洲、英國等地的衛生策略也在書中現身，豐富了比較視野。本書真切且深入，再次強調了作者對於社會團結的關注。這些創見，對於我們思考如何可能讓社會在災難後浴火重生，非常重要。 ──陳嘉新／國立陽明交通大學科技與社會研究所教授 【各界好評】 艾瑞克．克林南柏格透過七名歷經2020年世界性大流行病的紐約人切身經驗，藉以探討這場瘟疫的意義和影響，他的成果就是這本既有人性的親密感又不失廣博的著作，揭示了社會團結的重要性及其脆弱性。 ──伊麗莎白．寇伯特（Elizabeth Kolbert）／普立茲獎得主、《第六次大滅絕》作者 克林南伯格針對動蕩的2020年蒐集到精采的「社會驗屍」報告，其中調查了機構、社會和政治領導層是如何崩解潰散的……這部對COVID-19當下混亂和災難的優秀探討之作，能與勞倫斯．萊特（Lawrence Wright）的《大疫年》（The Plague Year）並駕齊驅，都是此一主題的必讀作品。希望2020年的經驗讓我們在往前行的同時，具備透徹的清醒、決心和團結精神。 ──《書單》（Publishers Weekly）星級好評 經過嚴密的研究......［克林南伯格］藉由七個人物的側寫，向人們面對可怕困境時所展現的韌性和慷慨致敬......這本書令人入迷，捕捉到新冠大流行所特有的那種揮之不去的不確定性，同時評估了其全球影響力，以及未來我們可能面臨的挑戰。這本重要著作有其廣度。 ──《圖書館雜誌》（Library Journal）星級好評 文筆優美，研究透徹。 ──《經濟學人》（The Economist）