First published 2004
Claudia Rankine's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" is a searing, multimedia exploration of the individual adrift in a hyper-connected yet emotionally barren world. Blending lyric, essay, and image, Rankine lays bare the anxieties of our age - racial violence, terrorism, depression, and the relentless onslaught of media. With a voice both vulnerable and defiant, she reckons with the loss of self in the face of unremitting loneliness, and the possibility of finding salvation through recognition of others.
Genres: literary-fiction, african-american, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, vulnerable-narrator
168 pages · Paperback · Graywolf
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, racism