It is admirable that the writers have come together to give profits to independent bookstores, because that is the energy needed during this time. The first draw was the beautiful cover art and title encapsulating the pandemic experience.

While this is a collection of musings on the pandemic, I couldn’t help wishing for more— I must admit that I am not a personal essay fan, and hoped for a shift in writing more poems and changing to short story narrative structure for increased engagement. However, much credit is given to the writers for having the courage to capture and share their experiences. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

It took me longer than I planned to start reading Alone Together. As we're still facing the pandemic as I write these words, it felt too soon to be spending time reading about our current reality. Yet, I found the different perspectives to be interesting, helpful, and hopeful. I think this book will be one that we look back on years from now and remember what we survived together.

After the school year ended, I really wanted to dive into this book. While we were virtual, I asked students to keep a "Living History Journal" that was like their little record book for what they've lived through during this unprecedented time. This book was reminiscent of that. I loved the collection of stories from those currently big in the literary world and am excited to share this book with my students. I know that many of them will find solace in some of the shorter stories and essays as I have.

THANK YOU Jennifer Haupt for spearheading this book. Vignettes, essays, poems, and interviews from a bevy of who's who in the literary world all having to do with CoVid-19. Who knew a book like this would be so refreshing and so touching during this crazy, crazy time. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I love the premise of this book - a collection of writing with the common thread of how we are all coping during the Covid-19 pandemic. I think I expected a more saccharine, let's-try-to-cheer-us-all-up book than what it actually is, and I'm so glad that is the case.
The collection of essays. poems, reflections, etc. are nuanced. evocative and at times heart-wrenching. No punches are pulled. Each one tells it like it is, and give insights into the experiences of particular areas or people.
Knowing that we are all struggling, everyone in their own way, but all because of the same thing, is a powerful feeling, and some of the pieces will stay with me for a long time.

The book Alone Together, edited by Jennifer Haupt, is an interesting collection of essays related to our collective experience of COVID-19. Written by a variety of authors from different points of view on different aspects, these essays address what this pandemic has meant to many people. Some essays are funny and some made me cry because they hit too close to home. You’ll have to decide if you’re able to read a thoughtful essay about someone else’s experience, if you’ve got the mental reserve for that. It’s a smart book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a refreshing and humanizing look into the current pandemic that most of the world is still facing.

In a time when people are needing to stay home and be physically separated from others, this book is a great reminder that we have the ability to pivot and change our ways of working and living so that we can still collaborate and be “alone together”.

I appreciated the diversity of the authors and writing styles that were included and I highly recommend this to anyone who is experiencing the current pandemic, as a breath of fresh air.

In a time where everyone is alone, Alone Together was an excellent collection. It showed me that we are all in this together. It connected even the most unlikely of pairs.

I really enjoyed this book and just the type of book to read in a pandemic. It provides the reader with many perspectives, some I hadn't even considered. We have to realise people experience the same thing in different ways.

This was exactly the book that I needed to read during the pandemic. I'm amazed at the turn around in writing and publishing this and getting it out to the masses. I love that, as an anthology, it gives so many perspectives of something that is keeping us away from others for the most part.

Don't look to strongly at my rating of this book because I was unable to finish it due to being uncomfortable with just how real it was in regard to the current climate of the world, at least here in the U.S..

A series of essays and poems about the experience of covid-19, all profits going toward continuing the industry of publication, I think this book is vital and I hope one day to read the whole thing through. At this time though, it was too overwhelming to be reading about what we're currently living through.

This book was not for me. I love the idea of a collection of stories from people in different walks of life, experiencing the same thing in many different ways. The execution just wasn’t how I wanted it to be, but maybe I had too high expectations.

This book was fantastic full of some amazing authors that were not familiar to me, I enjoyed the wide range of different styles. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book.

I was a little nervous going into this as short stories/essay collections aren't always for me. Its definitely out of my comfort zone. But I was interested to see how different people were dealing with Covid.
There were some powerful messages and topics throughout this book. Split into different categories including Grief, Comfort and Connect. Which I felt worked best for this type of collection.
When it comes to the poetry I struggled most. But thats just because I don't really enjoy poetry for the most part.
I did relate to the multiple essays regarding mental health. The way Covid worsened my Anxiety. The worries about not only my health but my families as well. How powerless I felt to protect them. The unknown nature of Covid. But having to carry on the best way you can.
Overall this was a powerful read where there is something for everyone to relate to.

For current readers in autumn of 2020, this collection represents the initial fear and loneliness experienced by individuals and households at the beginning of nationwide and global quarantines. The immediate cancellation of close social interaction with friends and loved ones impacted the daily lives of billions of people. This excellent collection of stories and poems serves to represent just a small slice of how lives and livelihoods were altered at the beginning of 2020 with the future still to come.

Thank you Netgalley - all reviews are my own though I was provided with a free ARC for my review. Ok first of all - good cause - buy it and help support independent booksellers. Second - read it and begin processing pandemic life. Third- prepare to expand your TBR list as you become familiar with new to you authors.

I really enjoyed this book. Seeing different points of view during a shared event was eye opening. I recommend this book.

ALONE TOGETHER edited by Jennifer Haupt was just released last month with the intent of supporting independent booksellers in need through the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. The submissions of poems, essays and interviews were all donated by dozens of authors (Kwame Alexander, Meg Waite Clayton, Jamie Ford, Nikki Giovanni, Jean Kwok, to name just a few). This collection is subtitled "Love, Grief, and Comfort in the Time of COVID-19" and it seems so appropriate to chronicle and share these experiences, especially today as some of our students and our faculty and staff begin the journey of blending in-person and remote learning. Haupt has divided the writings (many of which are only a page or two) into 5 sections: What Now? Grieve, Comfort, Connect and Do Not Stop. Library Journal described ALONE TOGETHER as "A testament to the power of story in times of hardship and crisis." Last night I read several selections and rather than being saddened, I was actually very buoyed by the uplifting perspective and feeling that we are indeed all in this together. I could definitely see this text being used to prompt students' own reflections, particularly as we move forward in the school year.

This is an excellent anthology of our times, when we are all feeling vulnerable in the face of a pandemic. Well written anecdotes laced with fear and hope, I quite enjoyed them.

I loved this compilation of stories during Covid-19! In a time where many of us are feeling very alone, this shows we aren't. There are many others feeling what we are feeling, and just trying to make it day by day.

I also think this will be a great book for years to come - for history purposes. It really showed the struggles we are facing daily. It's a must read at this trying time!