From the wards of New Orleans to the cornfields of Iowa to the slopes of Colorado, from the raves of Los Angeles to the hollows of Appalachia an... read full description
reviews
Aug 29, 2010
Karen
rated it: 
So I originally intended to give this book 1 star. I got a third of the way through the book and couldn't read anymore. The authors of this book went around and interviewed a bunch of people to get stories that purportedly illustrated the concept of “love”. The first third dealt with new relationships and I found it extremely depressing. It was chock-full of seriously messed up people and their sad and pointless tales of self-destruction which was not at all what I was looking for.
How More...
How More...
May 07, 2010
Ebony
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Life kept getting in the way of me finishing this wonderful book. Once i finally finished, I was really sad that there weren't more versions of love from various people around the country. Almost immediately, I noticed myself judging folks, though. I felt bad about it like who am I to say that this is or isn't love, but then I realized that's the point of the book. We all have to find our own paths to love and our own strategies for recognition. Other people's stories are an easy way to decide w
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May 22, 2011
Khris
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Loved this book. It's a series of interviews with people living in the U.S., from all walks of life, talking about L-O-V-E. Some of them are sweet, some sad, heartbreaking, funny, cute, crazy, infuriating, amazing...
It starts off with a 5-year-old girl talking about her great love, Lukey, and how he disappointed her. "He lied to me. He said he could hold his breath for three days and three nights. And he really didn't do it. That's impossible."
Then there' More...
It starts off with a 5-year-old girl talking about her great love, Lukey, and how he disappointed her. "He lied to me. He said he could hold his breath for three days and three nights. And he really didn't do it. That's impossible."
Then there' More...
Apr 26, 2010
K Dog
rated it: 
A collection of love stories or what the people who contributed to this book call love stories. The book is broken up into sections the beginning focus is on young relationships from one week to 1 year and then goes up to 60 plus years.
The stories of the young couples / relationships or people in loving relationships were not the happy mushy love stories that I was expecting. It is really eye opening to see what another persons version of love is. I was appalled at some of the stori More...
The stories of the young couples / relationships or people in loving relationships were not the happy mushy love stories that I was expecting. It is really eye opening to see what another persons version of love is. I was appalled at some of the stori More...
May 19, 2011
Willow
rated it:
If anything, I ended up feeling more confused about this whole idea of "love." I guess it simply goes on to show that it's way too complex, although some stories prove just the opposite. For a subway read, it was definitely entertaining. The story that stuck out to me the most, was about the Mexican lady who simply wouldn't leave her bum of a man alone lol. I mean, her determination and endurance was really quite something. I didn't believe her when she said she doesn't love him any mo
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Mar 21, 2010
Jess
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This was the result of years of research and hard work on the part of John Bowe and several others who interviewed men and women of various ages, ethnicities, religions, economic backgrounds, sexual preferences, and geographic locations about their relationships, loves, and/or marriages. The book is separated by the length of time the couple has been together. It was utterly fascinating to read and experience these different relationships through the eyes of all these different Americans.
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Dec 27, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
If you're looking for a warm, fuzzy read about love, this isn't it. It was difficult (sometimes outright impossible) to relate to any of the interviewees, and I found myself often wondering if this was truly an accurate cross-section of the population of the United States. There were an extraordinary number of stories involving drug-addicts and cheaters, and the ones that weren't either of those were religious fanatics (this is, of course, a bit hyperbolic) Some stories were nice, but too man
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Jan 25, 2012
Bethany
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I'm going to stop thinking I can read nonfiction books that don't come with a "j" for "juvenile" in front of the Dewey numbers. I just can't finish them. I got about halfway through this book before I realized I was bored out of my mind. I mean, the premise sounds so awesome; it's a collection of monologues from ordinary folks about relationships they've been in. And if there's anything I enjoy, it's reading about other people's deeply personal thoughts and feelings, ESPE
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Jul 22, 2010
Laura
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Okay, so here's the thing: this was completely not what I expected it to be. I'm not sure exactly what I thought I would be reading, but I didn't expect I would be reading transcriptions of interviews about love. Having said that, there were some beautiful words that were said by the individuals whom John Bowe interviewed. Some were poignant, some were not. Though there were a wide variety of stories, the majority of the loves described were between heterosexual couples. I think there was room f
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Apr 16, 2010
It's not as good as Gig (by same editors), and I wouldn't describe what some of the interview subjects describe as "love." And frankly the youngest and oldest interviewees were a bit dull. But overall this is an absorbing collection of Studs Terkel-esque interviews. The variety of voices is amazing--novelists can only aspire to capture how people really speak. A good book to borrow from the library and pick up and put down.
May 21, 2010
Julian
rated it:
Real life accounts of romantic relationships, broken down into sections based on longevity, 3-5 years and all the way up to over 60 years together, with a little section at the end for multiple relationships. A married mother of three, realizes she's gay, a raver couple share a dope habit, a man loses his wife of 15 years during hurricane Katrina, a polyamorous couple explains jealousy, and a lonely barfly is content to die alone. Maybe this isn't the best review, but being a huge fan of non-fic
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Feb 15, 2010
Daniel
rated it:
This book isn't about fairytale love. This book is about love being complex, crazy, heart-rending, and at the same time comforting, profound, and heartwarming. The stories reflect the melting pot that is America touching on generational, cultural, and ethical differences of what people consider and call love.
Jul 09, 2011
Alicia
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I really really liked this book. The first person they interviewed was a five year old, and that was absolutely adorable. I was hooked after that. Fun, although sometimes depressing read.
Also, so many people cheat. At least, most of the people in this book did. How depressing.
Also, so many people cheat. At least, most of the people in this book did. How depressing.
Mar 30, 2010
Lara
rated it:
A really interesting read. I am a total voyeur for everyday people's observations/life stories and a mark for pretty much any smart story about love (suck it, haters), so this was a great book for me. Very well curated collection.
Jul 25, 2010
Kris
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Got this as a gift at my bridal shower and loved it. Fascinating to hear all these different voices talking about love and see that none of them quite hits on my own experience. It really is different for everyone.
May 06, 2010
Amanda
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mmeh. I could hardly relate to any of these people. I like the last choice. I feel like some editor made a conscious last choise. A lot of military. A lot of religion. A lot of sexism. A lot of American.
May 13, 2010
Dorie
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US was a series of true stories of love from people of all ages, races and backgrounds across America. Each story seemed like it could have been a little vignette in a movie; some were hilarious, some were sad and others were outrageous. The book is long so it gets a little boring after a while and I found that many of the people in the book were Christians, abusive/abused, drug addicted or had cheated on their significant other. I wondered if the author hand picked these particular stories b
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Jun 16, 2011
Jessica
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Yes, there were many stories I could have done without reading, most of the book really. But one story makes this book for me. To this day, I will pull this book off the shelf just to read that story.
Nov 20, 2011
Michelle
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After 15 years of voraciously reading romance novels, this is the most interesting and important book I have ever read concerning love. It shows it in all its imperfect glory, in far more guises than I ever would have guessed. Humans are odd creatures, you can't deny that. But we can't help but connect with one another, no matter how we do it. This is a must-read, for everyone. Not just a book for chicks at all.
Aug 09, 2010
Phoebe
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"US, America's Talk About Love" is a conversation with 44+ different people about their experience with romantic (and otherwise) love. It is a gem, a therapy, a craziness, a heartbreak, and a hoot. It's a little like NPR and a little like MTV. Possibly the most well-edited book of this type I've ever read -the editor's work is artful and quiet, you don't even know he's there. I highly recommend this book.
May 27, 2010
Francis
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I loved that book. Honest, unpretentious, beautiful. Very inspiring book that made me look at my life with a different perspective.
Apr 25, 2010
Maria
rated it:
Subway reading but dreadful nonetheless. Did I say dreadful? Perhaps wretched would be more apt.
Jul 28, 2010
Carissa
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Short stories of people being interviewed. Some were entertaining and funny.
Jun 07, 2010
Diana
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I helped conduct some of these interviews and during the process, which can also be taken by reading the book itself, I realized that throughout all of the states, cities, etc... the impact of love on a person's life is one-if not THE-most weighty factor in the span of our existence. Although you can see common threads within the stories of each individual, the way they speak and the way they are allowed to react to each scenario makes for a completely unique read.
Nov 05, 2011
Alex
rated it:
A beautiful but sometimes hopeless account of human relationships and feeling. Some of these stories caused me to go completely numb and lose hope temporarily, before the next story would restore my faith in the power and possibility of love. Loneliness and death of a loved one has never seemed more real than in this book. I absolutely adore how real every last testimonial was, from the smitten and teenaged to the old, wise and still-dreamy.
Apr 07, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Wow, this book really sucks.
I could not finish it-really depressing and f-ed up essays on love.
I could not finish it-really depressing and f-ed up essays on love.
Jul 25, 2010
Mr. Steve
rated it:
Lots of different first person interviews about love. I found the idea of it quite interesting, but only a handful appealed to me in any way. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I found many of the interviewees quite unlikable so I couldn't care less if they found love or not.
Jun 07, 2010
Michael
rated it:
A candid recounting of romantic relationships, which I found insightful. Their experiences range from deep and permanent, to drunken, drugged, and pathetic. The book is arranged by how long ago the love occurred, so the end is generally better than the beginning.
