Here to Help: Loneliness

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

For life’s big and small moments Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh staff have created Here to Help booklists. Here to Help booklists provide information and support in navigating life experiences. Librarians at your neighborhood library are here to help too and can offer suggestions for these or other topics of interest, as well as community information and resources. Through these booklists you can create opportunities to find connection, solace, comfort, or information for action.

The books in this list provide information and resources for adults about loneliness.

Not every book is available at all locations, but any title can be requested. Feel free to suggest some titles to us. New books are always being added to the collection.

For more resources see the CLP Social Services Guide.

You can sign up for a free library card here.

If you are new to our eResources, check out these tutorial videos on how to get started.

If you’re looking for more book suggestions, we’re happy to recommend them to you! Use this Book Recommendation form to send us some information about what you like to read and we’ll curate a list just for you.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact a librarian through Facebook, Instagram or X. You can also call us at 412-622-3114 or email us at info@carnegielibrary.org

The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World

by Sharon Brous

Sharon Brous—a leading American rabbi—makes the case that the spiritual work of our time, as instinctual as it is counter-cultural, is to find our way to one another in celebration, in sorrow, and in solidarity. With original insights and practical tools, The Amen Effect translates foundational ideas into simple practices that connect us to our better angels, offering a blueprint for a more meaningful life and a more connected and caring world. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.

Friendship in the Age of Loneliness: An Optimist's Guide to Connection

by Smiley Poswolsky

Written in short, digestible, action-oriented sections, this book reminds us that nurturing old and new friendships is a ritual, a necessity, and one of the most worthwhile things we can do in life.

The Joy of Connections: 100 Ways to Beat Loneliness and Live a Happier and More Meaningful Life

by Ruth K. Westheimer

An urgent guide to combating loneliness, with 100 ways to increase connectivity right now, from the iconic therapist and orphan of the Holocaust appointed the first-ever “Loneliness Ambassador” in the country. This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on Libby.

Loneliness for Dummies

by Andrea Wigfield

This essential guide helps you to beat chronic loneliness by making positive connections with other people, accepting yourself, and gaining a sense of belonging to places. This title is also available for checkout in eAudio on hoopla.

The Lonely Stories: 22 Celebrated Writers on the Joys & Struggles of Being Alone

by Natalie Eve Garrett

If you’re feeling lonely or if you’ve ever felt unseen, if you’re emboldened by solitude or secretly longing for it – Welcome to The Lonely Stories. This cathartic collection of essays illuminates an experience that so few of us openly discuss. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.

Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship

by Justin Whitmel Earley

Discover life-changing habits for friendship that will help you move out of a world of digital loneliness and into a life of being truly known by your friends. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook or eAudio on hoopla.

Missing Each Other: How to Cultivate Meaningful Connections

by Edward Brodkin, Ashley Pallathra

The ability to connect with another person’s physical and emotional state is one of the most elusive interpersonal skills to develop, but this book shows you just how approachable it can be. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook on Libby.

Projecting UnLonely: Healing Our Crisis of Disconnection

by Jeremy Nobel

Even before 2020, chronic loneliness was a private experience of profound anguish that had become a public health crisis. Since then it has reached new heights. As the founder of Project UnLonely, Jeremy Nobel unpacks our personal and national experiences of loneliness to discover its roots and to show how we can take steps to find comfort and connection. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook or eAudio on Libby.

Reconnecting After Isolation: Coping with Anxiety, Depression, Grief, PTSD, and More

by Susan J. Noonan

Speaking as both a provider and recipient of mental health care services, Noonan combines her professional and personal experiences in an evidence-based and practical guide. Drawing on meticulous research and interviews with four psychologists, she outlines steps to overcome the emotional trauma of isolation.

Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness

by Kristen Radtke

A wide-ranging exploration of our inner lives and public selves, Kristen Radtke digs into the ways in which we attempt to feel closer to one another, and the distance that remains. Through the lenses of gender and violence, technology and art, Radtke ushers us through a history of loneliness and longing, and shares what feels impossible to share.

Transforming Loneliness: Deepening Our Relationships with God and Others When We Feel Alone

by Ruth Graham

In Transforming Loneliness, Graham invites you to surrender your loneliness to God and work with Him in making healthy choices that lead to life, joy, and community. This title is also available for checkout as an eBook or eAudio on hoopla.