Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics [Paperback]

Sasha Cagen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2006

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)

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“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 )

“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 )

“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 )

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

“Cagen has put her finger on [society’s] pulse…a positive spin on flying solo.” (Toronto Globe & Mail )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (January 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060750618
• ISBN-13: 978-0060750619
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,806 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sasha Cagen is an author and entrepreneur who builds communities around passions and new ideas. She is most well known for coining the term 'quirkyalone,' a person who prefers singledom to dating for the sake of dating.

Her first book Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (Harper San Francisco, 2004), a singles manifesto for a new generation, spawned a holiday, International Quirkyalone Day (Feb. 14), a growing alternative to Valentine's Day that celebrates all forms of love, an online community, and a movement. Find out more at quirkyalone.net.


Sasha's second book is To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us (Simon & Schuster, 2007), a collection of 100 real, handwritten lists and the stories behind them. She began collecting lists as the founding editor and publisher of To-Do List, a print magazine that used the idea of a to-do list to explore details of modern life, and became fascinated by them because they are such a window into our everyday lives.

Among other major recognition, To-Do List was named Best New Magazine of 2000 in Utne's Alternative Press Awards, Reader's Choice.

She continued the project on todolistblog.com, a blog that publishes handwritten lists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Important but Fluffy, September 2, 2004

By 

Ms. H. Willis "vivien2000" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (Hardcover)

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.

29 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laughed Out Loud in Recognition, January 22, 2004

By 

Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (Hardcover)

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!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book, a word, and a journey, January 6, 2006

By 

Mir - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics (Paperback)

By the time I discovered this book, it had already begun to dawn on me that perhaps I didn't NEED to be in a relationship to be happy, that just maybe what others call "too picky" is really exquisite self-awareness, and that life could be exciting, joyful, and filled with unending possibility once I learned to stop twisting myself into the shape society says we should take and be the real Me instead.

Sasha Cagen gave my journey a name: Quirkyalone.

While I may quibble with a few of the particulars she lays out, the bigger picture she has tapped into is clearly something deep and very important and deserving of attention. I hope that people aren't put off by the "alone" part of the title, because it is not at all about loneliness or isolation. Rather, it's about being courageously and unapologetically true to oneself and living life on one's own terms.

For those of us who feel we've already arrived, this book is comforting validation. For those who seek greater independence and fulfillment in their lives, it just may help lead the way.