This book is a mood. If the world is overwhelming and you want to curl up under a blanket with some wholesome characters who will warm your heart while dealing with the worst life can offer, this is the cast I'd recommend for you. We also wanted to explore whether the public understood what could lead to people becoming deeply lonely for a long time, and whether they had stereotypes about loneliness. We found that people understand some of the factors which tend to increase people’s risk of loneliness. Donna’s story: Finding an outlet for your feelings is healthy This story is brimming and tipping over with wonderful characters. All are likable and each one adds a different dynamic to the mix. What a diverse group indeed. Hubert is my fave, of course! I just want to hug this man for all his wonderfulness! He's officially at the top of my list for "Best Character in 2021 Reads"! Donna is 48 and lives in a small town in the southeast of England. She cares for her autistic 17-year-old daughter, and for her partner who lives with ongoing pain and mobility issues following the botched treatment of a knee injury. She works part-time and is responsible for her family and two lively dogs. While Donna is rarely alone, she feels lonely as she has no one to share her burdens with.

In January 1958, a young Jamaican by the name of Hubert Bird sails to Southampton in search of a bright future like many others of the Windrush Generation. He finds employment and has to endure blatant racism and discrimination both in the workplace and in society in general, but remains hopeful. Hubert meets his future wife Joyce, falls in love and marries her - an inter-racial marriage that is not accepted by Joyce’s family. A hardworking and honest man, loving husband and devoted father to two children, Hubert settles down in Bromley with his wife and family. The Foundation’s research suggests that some groups of people are more at risk of loneliness including young adults, people with existing mental health problems and people from some minority ethnic groups. Other groups more likely to be affected by loneliness included people in later life especially those who are digitally excluded.

🍪 Privacy & Transparency

Similar schemes are run by Homeshare, a network of charities, operating in 16 countries, including Britain. Elsewhere policymakers are experimenting with incentives to encourage old and young to mix. In cities such as Lyon in France, Deventer in the Netherlands and Cleveland in Ohio, nursing homes or local authorities are offering students free or cheap rent in exchange for helping out with housework.

Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out. The pandemic has heightened disadvantages among groups that were already at an increased risk of loneliness This book is extremely well written. Mike Gayle did a phenomenal job covering the various aspect of loneliness and the different ways that it can affect us. This book also touches on the value of friendship and inclusion and how important they are to every generation. All The Lonely People is an unforgettable story that made me laugh, and cry, and filled me with hope. Listening to this in the afternoons when I was jobless, seeking any type of work that would pay—after my scholarship’s graduation stipend was depleted, spent for mailing my essays and poems to city-based magazines, that never even saw publication. Writing never did pay, and that time I hardly knew that it didn’t or that it could.Hubert’s life now consists of weekly phone calls with his daughter and conversations with his cat. But he is shaken out of this limited existence by his new neighbour, a young single mum new to the area who is fighting her own battle with loneliness. Ashleigh is originally from Wales and has struggled to make new friends since having her young daughter Layla. Dan from Gurnee, IlI thought I was day dreaming in my car when I heard the line for the version of Lonely People where he sings, "give your heart to Jesus Christ". Glad to see that wasn't. Where can you hear that version? Loneliness is usually best explained as the result of individual factors such as disability, depression, widowhood or leaving home without your partner. Yet some commentators say larger forces, such as “neoliberalism”, are at work. Where do they all come from? Despite Hubert’s initial resistance, the pair become friends and end up spearheading a campaign to combat loneliness when they realise that they aren’t the only ones suffering this affliction. Hubert becomes the poster boy and even ends up on Phil and Holly’s sofa. UK adults’ different experiences of loneliness are examined in the Mental Health Foundation’s new report All the Lonely People: Exploring the Hidden Realities of Loneliness and Mental Health.

The story shifts between the past, starting with Hubert’s coming to London from Jamaica many years before, and the present. All the Lonely People is a tearjerker for sure but not overly maudlin.People suffering with chronic loneliness may well need one to one help on a sustained basis, so this must be factored into the Government’s plan. Age UK would also like to see a ‘Loneliness Test’ introduced for new Government policies, to make sure they don’t unintentionally make the problem worse. Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Book Group for the opportunity to read this sweet, moving and oftentimes funny book. We have two timelines going on here. In the first, Hubert is in his early twenties and makes the journey from Jamaica to the UK to start a new life. We see him disembark the boat and experience life in London. The racism, the hostile attitudes which only increase when he starts a relationship with a white woman, Joyce. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Grand Central Publishing. However, you do not have to be on your own all the time to feel lonely. Many people feel lonely in a relationship or while spending time with friends or family.

Hubert better get busy! He's got some work ahead making his real life match his stories to Rose. Can he do it? The bigger question is: Why is Hubert purposely isolating himself to begin with? The research found that the risk of being often lonely is dramatically higher among those people who are widowed, do not have someone to open up to, or are in poor health. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), the Charity’s analysis identified that the over-50s are over five times more likely to be ‘often lonely’ if they are widowed compared with older people who are in a relationship, and nearly four times more likely to be ‘often lonely’ if they are in poor health compared with older people who are in good or excellent health. It also found older people are more than twice as likely to be ‘often lonely’ if they have money issues, compared with those who don’t.[ii] Kevin from Reading , PaDustin, I don't think America was especially God loving when they were having their hits. Dan Peek is the one who got religion more or less after he left the in the late 70s. At least that's how I understand it. Dustin from Franksville, WiI never knew that America was such a God-loving band. This song is one of their shortest, but sweetest melodies ever.

More than half of adults (55%) said they didn't think other people could tell when they are feeling lonely