I think reading this helps us feel connected with others going through this crazy time of COVID. I enjoyed all the different perspectives

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-arc.

Let me start with the positive.
This book shines in its diversity of perspectives. We are reading from authors of all ages, sexes, color, ethnic background. Though I personally was missing the perspective of someone with a disability to round out this collection even more.
Another strong point of the anthology is its relatability. Even though we all have very different backgrounds and realities a big part of our daily life has become unified in a worldwide effort to beat back this virus and in these essays you will recognize a lot of the thoughts and behaviors that have taken root in such a short period of time.
For me the strongest section in this collection was Grief. It was nicely elaborated and we were looking at more than just the grief over a loved one passing away. This section worked best for me because I feel like it is the most clearly defined section in the collection and thus the pieces in it also work together very well.
Overall my main criticism is linked to the fact that this is a collection of multiple author's works and therefore there will always be pieces you love more than others. But I feel like with this collection even the best pieces mainly got me excited to explore more of that author's writing rather than me actually being excited about the pieces themselves which I feel is down to the shortness of each piece.
As a result I fear like this collection will quickly be forgotten in the scope of my reading year.

Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort During the Time of COVID-19 is a collection of essays, poems, and interviews to serve as a lifeline for negotiating how to connect and thrive during this stressful time of isolation as well as a historical perspective that will remain relevant for years to come. All contributing authors and business partners are donating their share to The Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit organization that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the bookselling community.

This book is put together really wonderfully, and Haupt has assembled an incredible array of essayists, poets and writers in this book that really allow you to empathise, care and appreciate the people this pandemic is affecting. From those staying at home to those who still have people on the frontline, this book really does allow you to see every perspective and makes for sometimes sad, sometimes funny, sometimes tender moments.

Beginning with the poems that are included in this anthology, there are so many highlights. ‘I Kind Of Want To Love The World But I Have No Idea How To Hold It’ by Kelli Russell Agodon and Melissa Studdard is a short but brilliant poem of comfort in this collection. One of the many highlights of the Connect section, ‘Dear O’ by Ching-In Chen is beautifully done and the words are just so beautifully put together moments in the book.

Accompanying these poems are interviews, personal writings and essays which are true gems. Devi S Laskar’s ‘State Of The Union, State Of The Art’ is poetic and brilliantly put together in this book and ‘Recipe For Connection’by Jennifer Rosner is a really lovely piece of writing that talks of family and food, something that during this for me has been something important and really brought my home together. What I love about these pieces is there honesty and how the authors share a sliver of their lives with the world within this collection.

Anthologies are hard to perfect and of course some things are going to call the reader more than others, and that is true for me here, with the connecting and funny moments really calling to me, ‘Pandemic Date Night’ by Sommer Browning and David Shields being one I especially loved in this collection. A time capsule of the time we’ve spent alone together this book memorialises a very strange time, but also a time where people for the most part worked together for the greater good and that deserves a book as good as this.

A comforting collection of essays to remind us all that we’re not alone even while we are sheltering in place during the pandemic. The short bites also play to my current COVID attention span. And, a star studded cast of authors.

I received an ARC edition from Netgalley of this collection of poems, musings, and interviews from over 90 writers. Some of the authors I was familiar with, many I was not, but I enjoyed each's perspective on life during this pandemic. Many are introverts like myself and while spending time alone isn't that hard for them, the not knowing when this will end disturbs and unsettles us all. I plan on seeking out some of the authors' other works and am grateful that they were willing and able to collaborate on this little treasure.

I really appreciate the heart behind this book, its goal of raising money for a good cause, and the honesty and vulnerability with which the contributors approached capturing this historical moment. At times, pieces seemed very raw and maybe even a little rushed, which makes sense given the short timeframe in which this collection came together, as well as the circumstances driving its creation. It is a little tough to read right now, while we are still experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was affirming to see how creative people are coping, and it will be a valuable way to look back on this time in the future.

I will post my review on Instagram nearer to the book's publication date. Thank you for the chance to read this!

Alone Together is a collection of short stories, essays, poems etc expressing what others are going through in what I like to call the “Covid Era”. First off I am surprised but relieved to have a book like this out while we are still in the middle of the pandemic. So the reader can read and relate to what’s going on in real time.
This book reminded me that I’m not alone, that my thoughts in this time aren’t all crazy since so many others are feeling the same.
With being short stories it’s the perfect fix for a few stories a night. Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry and some will make you think. A perfect book for what we are going through now and a great account for those who will want to look back on history.

* I received Alone Together through NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing, in exchange for an honest review*

Reading 'Alone Together' brought me comfort. Living through this pandemic is a true struggle for many people. I myself have feelings of sadness and restlessness upon being away from family and close friends for months. While reading 'Alone Together', I felt like there was a support system of poets and writers saying 'I understand your fear. I'm experiencing this also'.

My heart went out to those unable hug their loved ones for comfort. I felt sadness for those watching funeral processions through Zoom, due to social distancing guidelines. I feel that many people will gain an awareness of the struggles we're experiencing as we're moving through this COVID-19 pandemic. This book provides comfort during a time where we need it most!

Though we are indoors we are still united and this book is just a perfect remainder for this unprecedented and unpredictable time we are in.
The stories are moving and beautiful and a book i can't recommend enough

An amazing collection of writings —heartbreaking, soul-searching, inspiring —about living amid the COVID-19 epidemic. How blessed we are to have resources such as ALONE TOGETHER that capture history-in-the-making so movingly!

The essays, poems and interviews with luminaries such as Nikki Giovanni and Garth Stein, plus a host of talented emerging writers, resonated deeply with me and made me feel less alone.

All proceeds support indie bookstores, hit hard financially by the epidemic, through The Book Industry Charitable Foundation. A worthy endeavor, a splendid read!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020

Thanks to editor Jennifer Haupt, the authors, Central Avenue Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#AloneTogether #NetGalley

Many thanks to Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for my copy. This is a delightful little anthology of heartfelt real-life stories, anecdotes and poems on the subject of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is something for everyone to relate to here, no matter your background, lifestyle, age, ethnicity or nationality. Despite being British and living in the UK, I could still relate to many of the honest, emotional stories told here. I hope this book gains the success it deserves.

Description Summary:A scrapbook of stories from the various people who give life to the literature world, heart wrenching in it's brutal storytelling.

Score: 3/5

I would like to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions shared are my own personal thoughts.

I love the idea and concept behind this book, and I think it’s a wonderful movement to help support the literature world that provides us with the much needed escapism we desperately need during these troubling times. So grateful and in awe that Haupt decided to donate the proceeds of this book to aid indie bookstores and booksellers.

Book Summary: Haupt presents a series of short stories and poems that make up this aching real anthology about the raw truths that we individuals face in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gathered from multiple figures in the literary world, Haupt presents the collection of stories in 4 different parts titled:
What now?
Grieve
Comfort
Connect

We are whisked away to hear tales of bustling cities coming to halt, Zoom funerals and weddings, reunions and goodbyes, protests and change, and the comfort a yellow canary can bring us with its song.

Truthfully this book hides nothing. It’s like tentacles and claws ripping out open your darkest fears and worries about the pandemic and putting them on paper. Albeit few pages are not so bleak but for the most part this book is intense. It is not an easy read but I feel some people (especially those who think this whole pandemic is a “hoax”) need to see this.

I am sure many connected and shared in the many grievances presented in the book but to me personally it didn’t help. I feel like the book enabled hidden anxieties and worries to spring back up full force, and at one point I had to put the book down because it was overwhelming. This was why I took such a long time to read this. This is why I am saying that to anyone who easily becomes anxious:This is a warning: this book may be triggering. And I do not want anyone else to go through what I went through.

I liked how the stories were divided into four parts, I liked how we had a diverse range of authors and writings. Additionally, adding small bio of the author after every piece is a nice add-on

Do I recommend? Only if you are able to emotionally and mentally handle the stories in the book.

We are experiencing an unprecedented time. A time, a trial of so many things out of our control. Yet, as this book makes very clear, we are not experiencing it alone.

Interviews, poems, essays by some favored authors, as well as some new to me authors, describe their own experiences, feeling of this time. All the things we feel, not knowing what day it is, yearning for the chance to hug, see a loved one, fear of what will be left when, if this is ever over, are all things we share. There are humorous things, one authors husband who was a germophobe before Covid, now is thrilled that he can use as much bleach as he wants. There are sad things, things to comfort, things to ponder, honest, feelings expressed.

Positive things, such as the beneficial effect on the environment. Using nature as a solace, a way to heal connect. It's what I've been using, that and occasional family visits. The book did leave me with a feeling of connection and showed me that even the funky feeling I can't shake, is normal and I'm not alone.

ARC from Netgalley.

A great collection of stories, poems, and interviews regarding COVID-19 and how to deal with our new-normal. I found myself relating to multiple stories in ways I had not thought of before. This is a great read to help cope with COVID and self-quarantine.

This book was so hard to read, probably because we are still living this horrific history. I loved the diverse authors and new writers I found here. Some of the genres and styles were so creative and compelling.

'Alone Together' is a collection of poetry, stories, interviews and more, all based around people lives and the impact that Covid-19 has had on them.

Many of these pieces provide such raw and heartfelt emotion as I read, with the personal connection and experience of each author in mind I was continually pushed by myself to read on about how others have been dealing and living in the pandemic which led to me almost crying many, many times when reading some of the stories.

I personally liked reading the poetry the most out of the collection which helped me feel a connection between myself and the writers'.

This book truly reminds us that we are not alone although we may have to be alone physically due to the pandemic. It was such an eye-opening collection and it was even more bizarre to be reading it as the pandemic goes on.

Great timely collection of essays and stories to help us through these tough times with the pandemic! It will also be helpful after this time is over to look back on these themes and see how we as a society can improve based on our experiences. Highly recommend for anyone looking for help or just needing to fill some time while home alone during this crisis.

“Alone Together” is a collection of essays, poetry, and interviews focusing on the impact of the current pandemic in our lives and communities. Many of the authors were able to describe complex thoughts and feelings eloquently, using personal experiences as examples. I think there is a little something for everyone in this book to connect to. Years from now, it might be a good recommended reading list/course book for college courses examining how people felt, behaved, and responded during a pandemic.
I don’t believe this is a book to read in one sitting, rather an essay or poem over a cup of coffee/tea. Overall, I thought this was an excellent project idea supported by many artists who created something during this difficult time.

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my review.

I really found this uplifting, being given peoples experiences of lock down and what a strange time were living in made me realise that we really are in this all together! It was perfect to dip in and out of as the mood struck me Thanks for letting me read.

Seldom do you get to read a book that surrounds events that you are currently living through. While the formatting was off on my e-reader which made reading some of the stories difficult, and a few were missing in the current/advanced copy - this was such a lovely read. This book is all of us as COVID has truly not left a single person in the US untouched.