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Sue Halpern
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Migrations to Solitude Kindle Edition

by Sue Halpern (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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Why do we often long for solitude but dread loneliness? What happens when the walls we build around ourselves are suddenly removed—or made impenetrable? If privacy is something we can count as a basic right, why are our laws, technology, and lifestyles increasingly chipping it away?

These are somong the themes that Sue Halpern eloquently explores in these profoundly original essays. In pursuit of the riddle of solitude, Halpern talks to Trappist monks and secular hermits, corresponds with a prisoner in solitary confinement, and visits and AIDS hospice and a shelter for the homeless places where privacy is the first—and perhaps the most essential—thing to go. This is a book that lends weight to the ideas that have become dangerously abstract in a society of data bases and car faxes, a guide not only ot the routes to solitude but to the selves we discover only when we arrive there.
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  1. Print length
    225 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Vintage
  4. Publication date
    March 2, 2011
  5. File size
    371 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
19 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the original stories and the fascinating subject matter. The book is divided into 12 essays that follow a common thread of a spiritual journey.

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3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an excellent read and recommend it for its subject matter. They say it's beautifully written and enduring.

"...enjoyed reading Migrations to Solitude and I recommend the book for its subject matter, which is the quest for privacy in a crowded world...." Read more

"...An excellent read, but be prepared to DIY in determining how these stories all relate to privacy and solitude, and what meaning we might derive...." Read more

"Very good book." Read more

3 customers mention "Storytelling quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in the book. They find the subject fascinating and the essays original, with a common thread of spiritual journey.

"...The book is divided into 12 "profoundly original" essays that have a common thread of a spiritual journey...." Read more

"...While I loved the stories in and of themselves, I can only give the book a 4-star rating because there was no effort to present any sort of unifying..." Read more

"...The stories are real, heart gripping, and make you feel like you're watching the story from a hiding place...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Valgard Jonsson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and enduring book
    Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    I thoroughly enjoyed reading Migrations to Solitude and I recommend the book for its subject matter, which is the quest for privacy in a crowded world. The book is divided into 12 "profoundly original" essays that have a common thread of a spiritual journey. I felt very much connected to the author while reading the book and I didn't want the book to end.

    The book was published in 1992 prior to the current invasion of privacy by the present administration. I wonder what Helperin would have written if she knew the invasiveness of Big Brother in our lives today. A quest for Solitude today might be impossible now in our society and all of the places of solitudes are perhaps gone for ever like the Dodo bird.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • John P. Jones III
    4.0 out of 5 stars Almost 20 years on, less solitude, and certainly less privacy...
    Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I first came upon the writings of Ms. Halpern on the bookshelf in the Nature Conservancy in Silver City (NM) - (which now is apparently one more victim of the Great Recession). It was her book, "Four Wings and A Prayer" about the monarch butterfly, and its epic migrations. I found the subject fascinating; and Halpern's coverage of it, and her writing style excellent. Thus, what better recommendation for a book covering two overlapping topics of immense interest: solitude and privacy.

    Halpern has a journalist background - of the better kind - and this book is composed of 12 engaging stories. All were written almost 20 years ago, long before the much more intrusive examinations of airline passengers, and numerous other measures taken under the so-called "war on terror," which reduce our privacy. The first and last stories are different from the others, with the first involving Halpern's experience moving to a small town: more neighborliness, and less privacy, and the last involving a solo camping trip on a lake in upstate NY. The other 10 cover a wide gamut of experiences in America of the early `90's, and the author has a good sense in selecting vignettes that are fascinating in themselves: efforts to feed and house the homeless in NYC; two hermits who have lived in the Adirondacks, "off the grid," for 40 years; a prisoner on death row in Louisiana; the Trappist monastery in Gethsemani, Kentucky; the care of AIDS patients in LA; the death of a teenager, from a botched abortion in Indiana; a friend dying of AIDS, and it was not recognized; two stories about the thugs who make a very good living out of invading our privacy, and discovering secrets, all for a price, of course; and finally, 23 hours in an ICU in NYC. There was not a weak story, and it was difficult to select only one favorite, but I'd choose the reaction of the parents to their daughter's death in Indiana.

    One of the most jarring aspects of the book was a reminder that in the early 90's AIDS was prominently in the news, with friends and associates dying from this then incurable disease. Now, half a million Americans have HIV, and the overall death rate has only dropped by half, from around 80,000 a year in the early 90's to 40,000, yet the topic has been airbrushed out of the media.

    While I loved the stories in and of themselves, I can only give the book a 4-star rating because there was no effort to present any sort of unifying theme that illustrated how each episode tied to the purported topics of solitude and privacy. Sure, the reader could deduce some aspect of privacy, or the lack of same, in each story, but the book could equally have been Migrations to Death, and the aging process.

    An excellent read, but be prepared to DIY in determining how these stories all relate to privacy and solitude, and what meaning we might derive. Highly recommended for the next airplane flight!
    15 people found this helpful
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  • Cheryl J. Valentine
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mind changing stories that you will never forget
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book was my hospital companion while recovering from pneumonia. The stories are real, heart gripping, and make you feel like you're watching the story from a hiding place. The Secret was my first choice and it left me speechless. For those who seek the quiet and trust of a good friend sharing a confidence this is that book. We are not alone in our suffering. The chapter on the ICU was as if I was the RN on duty. For those who think they know, are staunch in their opines, this book would be a fantastic gift and can opener to their hearts. Be ready to be moved.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Monhegan Monarch
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Not compelling reading, for sure.
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  • Linn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Very good book.
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  • Bonnie Brody
    5.0 out of 5 stars Essays on Solitude
    Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2009
    This book is comprised of thoughtful essays all dealing with the theme of solitude.
    Solitude is examined from varies perspectives and environments - a hospital inten-
    sive care unit, a homeless shelter, high-tech spy operations and a Buddhist Monas-
    tery. I highly recommend this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jayfred
    2.0 out of 5 stars Not recommended.
    Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2017
    There were a few glimmers that she might be a talented writer, but i found it to be poorly done.
    One person found this helpful
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