Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics - Hardcover

Cagen, Sasha

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006057898X ISBN 13: 9780060578985

Publisher: HarperOne, 2004

Synopsis

A funny, upbeat, inspiring guide for all those singles who identify with enjoying their unique lifestyles while waiting for the right romance to come along. A celebration of the discerning singles everywhere–the quirkyalone!

There was a time when a single woman over 25 was called an old maid. Mothers fretted these unfortunate creatures might be condemned to a committing a crime of tragic proportions: living a life of eternal spinsterhood. Fortunately, in the 21st century, tv shows like Sex and the City affirm that it's more than ok – it's cool to be single. Sasha Cagen has coined the term that defines the lonely romantic who prefers her (or his) own company to that of a less desirable counterpart. Defining "singledom as a natural resting state" for quirkyalones, Cagen's guide is the best kind of self–empowerment: incisive, savvy, hilarious. Equal parts self–help and hilarious pop culture, QuirkyAlone is self–empowerment for the wise people of the world. Including quizzes, lists, it's not–your–average–relationship–book.

About this title

About the Author:

Sasha Cagen's essays have appeared in the Village Voice and Utne. She is the founding editor of To-Do List, a magazine that uses the idea of a to-do list to explore the details of daily life. To-Do List was named the Reader's Choice for Best New Magazine of 2000 in the Utne Alternative Press awards. A native of Rhode Island, Sasha Cagen lives in San Francisco.

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.
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperOne
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 006057898X
• ISBN 13: 9780060578985
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176