Man Alone: Alienation in Modern Society

Alienation has many faces. From the Bowery derelict to the London prostitute to the Harlem slum dweller to "those on the bottom," alienation is the human condition of millions. Emotional, spiritual, political, occupational, alienation is epidemic and growing. This book analyzes the problem from many points of view, from the detached academic to the deeply personal. Here you get the views of Fyodor Dostoyevski, Karl Marx, James Baldwin, C. Wright Mills, Erich Fromm, Lewis Mumford, and many others. It is impossible to generalize about such a selection. You will surely find something to like and just as surely something to disagree with. My favorite is Alan Harrington's "Life in the Crystal Palace," about the alienation that comes from working for a seemingly benevolent paternalistic corporation. Most of these essays are academic, some are dry and esoteric, but "Streetwalker" reads like a short story. They deal with the sociology and psychology of alienation, plus some politics and criminology.

This is a brilliant book. Really makes you think. A collection of essays that create an amalgamation of the meaning of life - what it means to be human - and here (on earth, alive) - alone or lonely in society - or fully functional in social units - what's it all mean? Very deep, very insightful, read it again and again. It's a shame it's out of print - I buy it every time I see it.