Thank you so much for this eARC; I was so excited to read this and was astounded that something came together so quickly - considering we are still in the time of COVID 19.

I definitely enjoyed this book; there was a nice mix between short stories and essays, and poetry. My only pause was some of the writings were a bit too literary for me, and I almost felt it was a stretch for me to connect it to our currently climate and the pandemic. However, many of the stories I really enjoyed - and I appreciated that there were works that included reference to the current political climate, police brutality, and BLM protests.

(A highlight will be posted on my Instagram in the coming weeks.)

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.
#NetGalley #AloneTogether #JenniferHaupt

"All I desire anymore are simple things: to be out in the world without a mask, to pet a stranger's dog, to sit close enough to the people I love to hear them breathe."

This collection of essays, poems and interviews is not just about the people that have been directly affected by COVID-19, this is about how we all handle this situation no one chose to be in, and it is relatable in so many ways. We see how people handle grief and distance, often through situations that didn't even occur to me, but are equally impacted by the change in our lifestyle. Not every piece will appeal to everyone, but this is, all-in-all, a good collection created for a good cause.

I'll conclude with a quote that states why I'm certain you'll find some relief and comfort in this book: "Poetry in wartime is a luxury. Poetry in wartime is a necessity."

Jennifer Haupt decided to write a book to benefit indie bookstores. When she put the call out for fellow writers to submit essays, the response was overwhelming. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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This book is a compilation of essays by authors of all different races and backgrounds coming together to write about what is going on in the world right now. Covid-19. The quarantine. Black Lives Matter. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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In “We Wear the Masks” author W. Ralph Eubanks describes seeing makeshift morgues in Bryant Park and goes on to talk about the masks that Black people have always had to wear.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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In addition to essays, there are poems and interviews with authors. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Dani Shapiro talks about realizing that we are all in this together and what self care looks like during this time.⁣⁣
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There are essays about how mayors in Black neighborhoods are handling Covid-19 differently than mayors in White neighborhoods. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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There are essays about people of different religious groups coping during this time. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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There are essays about listening to music.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Why did this feel like a balm to me? This book reminded me that it’s ok to be nervous and that, in addition to people bitching about wearing masks, there are people who are feeling the way that I am. There are people who care about others, who are angry about racial injustice, who are trying to make sense of all of this. This book made me feel connected. This book gave me a sense of community.⁣⁣⁣⁣
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𝐓𝐡e 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 this book go to benefit independent booksellers.

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

Through this collection of interviews, poems, essays, journal excerpts, and short stories we relive those infamous quarantine months, in the perspective of various writers. The book explores different topics as hope, grief, and ponders the questions that were haunting all of us.

And it really showed me, that we got through those difficult times together, even if we were apart.

As much as I would like a representation younger writers, it was also refreshing to read about the troubles and coping mechanisms of the middle-aged writers in US.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.
We may be all living during this unprecedented time of Covid19 but we are all having our own experiences. This book is a collection of poems, short stories, and interviews. I will be honest and say that I had a hard time reading some of these. I truly think these are stories that need to be told but as some of us have experienced great pain during this time a little time might be needed before healing enough to read all of them. This is a wonderful collection and one that will be light for future generations to understand what we are living in and through.

As the world was sheltering in place, author Jennifer Haupt had to find a reason to #getoutofbed.
Looking to other authors who rallied together in support of various causes, Jennifer wanted to raise money 💰 for #Binc (Book Industry Charitable Foundation, a nonprofit org. that coordinates charitable programs to strengthen the book selling community). She reached out to friends in the writing ✍️ community, asking if they would contribute (an essay, story, poem or interview), to her project which she called her #littlemonster. The result is this book: Alone Together: Love, Grief, and Comfort During the Time of COVID-19 with contributions by authors from diverse cultures and backgrounds. It addresses the range of emotions brought on as a result of COVID-19, the havoc of COVID, the loneliness of COVID, and how to cope in this new COVID world.

The list of contributors is extensive I do not want to leave anyone out so google it. But some of my favorite titles in the collection include, Touch, Flow Room, Lavender, Stamina, Postcard from New York, Dayenu, Don’t Stop Believin’, Hope Sings, Needleclast, We Wear the Mask, and more.
Illustrations are fantastic by Aisla Weisnewski. Cover design: #michellehalket
I love this book (in stores 09/01), and I believe in the cause it is supporting, #BOOKSTORES. Congratulations @jenniferhauptauthor! #5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you 🙏🏻 @NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my review.
#binc #alonetogetherabook #covd19 #rams #canaries #bananabread #ghosttown #zoomwedding #centralavenuepublishing

I loved reading this book on how others are dealing with Covid. We are all trying to live in this new “normal” so to speak. I like how the author had others write down what they have been experiencing. Also the 5 sections What Now? Grief, Comfort, Connect, and Don’t Stop. If you are struggling during Covid I highly recommend this book! Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

"If I've learned anything during these months at home, it is that I am not a machine. I am human and I will attend to this humanness."

I cannot put into words just how much I adore this collection of writing. The various stories, poems, essays, and interviews contained in this piece of art touch on the very essence of what it means to be human focusing on vulnerability and interconnectedness. On top of being a shared trauma for all of us, the pandemic has pulled back the curtain on the harsh realities of capitalism and magnified the disproportionate impacts on those in poor communities. These hard truths along with a multitude of others, such as systemic racism, have made us all uncomfortable, angry, frustrated, and more. It is crucial, however, that we don't run from this discomfort and suffering but rather sit with it. We must ask ourselves... what kind of normal do we want to return to?

This book is such a beautiful read. Full of inspiring stories, but also ones which stop to make you think. A thoughtfully put-together anthology of stories which document the struggles of the current times and the effects that COVID-19 has had on a diverse range of people. It is a book to that you can easily dip in and out of, with each story in turn giving a different perspective and insight into how, when faced with a global pandemic, people can unite in emotions and kindness.
A brilliant book for a brilliant cause.

It is the purview of collections of this style to bring the world together in a range of relatable stories, essays, poems, and creation. This title was so untenable for a reader in a small Midwestern town - there was nothing in the few essays I made it through that felt representative or relatable. This collection may sell well in large metropolitan areas, but missed the mark for me.

ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief and Comfort in the time of COVID-19
BY JENNIFER HAUPT

First and foremost I want to thank Jennifer Haupt and all of the other contributing authors for donating their time and efforts for bringing this amazing collection to the book industry for all of us to be able to find comfort and a human connection during this very uncertain time. All of us are struggling to find peace during this unprecedented pandemic. This is a truly heartfelt collection that I have read twice and it really has the transforming power to unite us all on a world wide level. It helped me to find some joy and peace by reminding me that we really are a whole world trying to navigate ourselves into territory of the likes we have never before witnessed during our lifetimes.

I really admire Jennifer Haupt and all of the contributing authors for doing something positive by donating the proceeds to helping out struggling booksellers. The essays, poems and short stories by many author's work I love and others that I have just discovered brought me comfort. This is such a worthwhile cause that I hope all of those who love to read will be encouraged to purchase a copy and find the strengths and humanity that is portrayed as a comfort that we really aren't alone in these uncertain times.

I was touched by Andre Dubus III in his sharing about his violent youth where his mother was forced to be a single parent by the heartbreaking loss of his father in a devastating tragic death. His father was a GREAT writer whom short stories have been compared to the famous Anton Chekov. Andre doesn't share about the loss of his father in his short story in this collection but I knew that his father was struck down by a car while assisting another driver who had a flat tire. His father's tragic death has shaped him to be the generous author he is. Him and I used to belong to the same gym called the Fitness Factory in Newburyport, MA where we shared the same personal trainer named Jesse. In Andre's short story he does share with the reader how he worked in construction while trying to write his novels before he became an established author when Oprah picked his terrific and unforgettable novel called "The House of Sand and Fog," for her book club which was made into a movie. It was his author reading and book signing of that earlier work that I had the pleasure of first meeting him. He asked me what I did for a living. He really engages with his fans and is humble. His short story in this collection tells of his finally building his family a house so they didn't have to keep renting an apartment. His wife named Fontaine is a dancer who taught dance classes. He lovingly writes about how he shopped for his wife's mother during lock down practicing social distancing.

I really found Caroline Leavitt's essay about her estranged sister and her inability to reconcile with her to be deeply resonating with me. Caroline infused her story with humor as bleak as her situation is by sending her sister emails with unidentifiable headlines relating to Caroline so her sister would open them. It is extremely painful to be estranged or ignored by those whom we love particularly our close family. Steve Yarbrough and Jenna Blum are two more of my favorite authors whom I have had the good fortune to meet many years ago. They contributed thought provoking stories in this collection, also. Kwame Alexander's prose is breathtaking and I LOVED this collection.

I will be purchasing 2 volumes of the physical book to place in my guest bedroom and my coffee table for guests to skim through and pick out the passages that they like in bite sized morsels.

Thank you once again, Jennifer Haupt and all of the other contributing Authors, Central Avenue Publishing and Net Galley for kindly providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#JenniferHaupt #CentralAvenuePublishing #NetGalley
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ALONE TOGETHER: Love, Grief and Comfort in the time of COVID-19
BY JENNIFER HAUPT

First and foremost I want to thank Jennifer Haupt and all of the other contributing authors for donating their time and efforts for bringing this amazing collection to the book industry for all of us to be able to find comfort and a human connection during this very uncertain time. All of us are struggling to find peace during this unprecedented pandemic. This is a truly heartfelt collection that I have read twice and it really has the transforming power to unite us all on a world wide level. It helped me to find some joy and peace by reminding me that we really are a whole world trying to navigate ourselves into territory of the likes we have never before witnessed during our lifetimes.

I really admire Jennifer Haupt and all of the contributing authors for doing something positive by donating the proceeds to helping out struggling booksellers. The essays, poems and short stories by many author's work I love and others that I have just discovered brought me comfort. This is such a worthwhile cause that I hope all of those who love to read will be encouraged to purchase a copy and find the strengths and humanity that is portrayed as a comfort that we really aren't alone in these uncertain times.

I was touched by Andre Dubus III in his sharing about his violent youth where his mother was forced to be a single parent by the heartbreaking loss of his father in a devastating tragic death. His father was a GREAT writer whom short stories have been compared to the famous Anton Chekov. Andre doesn't share about the loss of his father in his short story in this collection but I knew that his father was struck down by a car while assisting another driver who had a flat tire. His father's tragic death has shaped him to be the generous author he is. Him and I used to belong to the same gym called the Fitness Factory in Newburyport, MA where we shared the same personal trainer named Jesse. In Andre's short story he does share with the reader how he worked in construction while trying to write his novels before he became an established author when Oprah picked his terrific and unforgettable novel called "The House of Sand and Fog," for her book club which was made into a movie. It was his author reading and book signing of that earlier work that I had the pleasure of first meeting him. He asked me what I did for a living. He really engages with his fans and is humble. His short story in this collection tells of his finally building his family a house so they didn't have to keep renting an apartment. His wife named Fontaine is a dancer who taught dance classes. He lovingly writes about how he shopped for his wife's mother during lock down practicing social distancing.

I really found Caroline Leavitt's essay about her estranged sister and her inability to reconcile with her to be deeply resonating with me. Caroline infused her story with humor as bleak as her situation is by sending her sister emails with unidentifiable headlines relating to Caroline so her sister would open them. It is extremely painful to be estranged or ignored by those whom we love particularly our close family. Steve Yarbrough and Jenna Blum are two more of my favorite authors whom I have had the good fortune to meet many years ago. They contributed thought provoking stories in this collection, also. Kwame Alexander's prose is breathtaking and I LOVED this collection.

I will be purchasing 2 volumes of the physical book to place in my guest bedroom and my coffee table for guests to skim through and pick out the passages that they like in bite sized morsels.

Thank you once again, Jennifer Haupt and all of the other contributing Authors, Central Avenue Publishing and Net Galley for kindly providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#JenniferHaupt #CentralAvenuePublishing #NetGalley

Thank you so much for this beautiful book. This was just what I needed to read about and hear while in the midst of COVID-19. It is not my usual genre, but I picked it up because it was for a great cause. I loved the lessons learned and all of the words of hope and wisdom!

Review Time! Alone Together edited by Jennifer Haupt, is a collection of essays, interviews and poems meant to act as a lifeline for those struggling through the huge effect of Covid19.
This book was heart warming at times and heart breaking at others.
As a frontline worker, it was interesting to see the impact of covid19 for others, the fear and coming together.
My only issue with this book is that I felt it was a bit too long, but I think that may be because I read it all together, a better way might be to read a couple of stories each day.
I do think this would be an excellent book to add to your collection or to gift someone as in years to come when this is (hopefully) a long distanced memory, it will be a reminder of this time.
Thanks to netgalley for this copy to review!
This book comes out September 1st !

This is the book we have been yearning for and some of us have imagined our own essays. Books have been a lifeline for my family during Covid19 and with libraries closed, bookstores our only source. This collection of essays is a philanthropic effort of vulnerability, anguish, hope and so many perspectives and experiences. Your purchase supports booksellers through the Binc Foundation.

I have so much I want to say about this book, but I don't even know how to start or put it into words. This book filled me with hope and joy, and reduced me to tears on a train. I felt the pain, grief, love, laughter and concern of all of the contributors to this book - and it was everything I didn't know I needed as lockdowns in the UK began to ease.

"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. "

In this collection of work, we are invited to see lockdown and quarantines from many points of view. The events unfolding in the world are captured and remind the writers of times in their past, allow them to address and work through issues and consider their futures. Relationships start, weddings are performed and graduation are attended over Zoom. Parents spend time with their children, young and grown; people find themselves alone and confronting mortality; there are attempts to mend relationships. The collection touches on some devastating moments, as well as some of the most wonderful, and there is an overwhelming sense that the world will never be the same. However, I was left feeling hopeful for those that I read about, and for the world. There has been unbearable loss and there is huge societal change finally being demanded while so many can only watch from afar but the courage, compassion and conviction that can be seen here is nothing short of spectacular.

During the strictest times of quarantine, I was alone. I was confident I would fill my days with productive activities, writing, learning French, cooking interesting meals, but the anxiety and the knowledge of missing important milestones and the feeling of being trapped left me confused, disappointed and upset in ways that I couldn't articulate. People kept telling me it must be so nice to be spending this time alone, and listed their complaints about their families and housemates and the noise. I was jealous of the company in lockdown. I missed hugs and noise and human interaction that I had taken for granted for so many years. This book has shown me there is no right way to do lockdown; there is no one set of feelings, no one routine to follow that fits all. It is okay to be, it is okay to be upset and it is okay to make use of the time as best you can. The world has forever changed, and this book has put the events into a collection of beautiful words that will be an important account of history.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest reviewl.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime books and psychological ones too however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different.

This was was difficult to read only because we’re still entrenched in the world of COVID-19, so it felt very raw. That being said, I think this would be a great read in 5-10 years when this is all behind us.

On a positive note, the writing was wonderful.

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.