Unfriending My Ex - by Kim Stolz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"In this candid and insightful new memoir, Kim Stolz discusses the trials and tribulations of our obsession with social media and mobile technology...a Tweet-worthy, share-worthy, Instagrammable look into our society and the lives we create online." --Harper's Bazaar

An incisive, hilarious, and brutally honest chronicle of our obsessions with connectivity, by a self-proclaimed social media addict.

Breaking up used to be easy. You'd sit down, air your grievances, shed some tears, then commiserate with your friends over a pint of ice cream. But then it was over. Your ex was history. And if you lived in a big enough city, chances are you'd never bump into him or her again.

But the golden age of break-ups has come and gone. Today our exes, former friends, estranged relatives, and even that random person we met that one night in Vegas are just a thumb tap away, their lives playing out in an endless soap opera of status updates, selfies, Snapchats, and Tweets. The ways we interact with each other have changed forever. But our desire for human connection remains the same.

In Unfriending My Ex, Kim Stolz shares her stories from the front lines of our emoji-laden, filter-heavy, ultra-connected world, capturing the hilarity and chaos of life both online and off. Whether you've spent two hours clicking through a semi-stranger's vacation pictures or accidentally swiped right on a former flame, Kim Stolz is here to tell you you're not alone, you're not crazy, and she'd like a few of those french fries that you Instagrammed at dinner. Smart, honest, and always relatable, Unfriending My Ex is a must read for anyone who likes to hold a book in one hand and their phone in the other.

Review Quotes

"[A] lively memoir... [Stolz] investigates and considers the various effects of society's (and particularly her generation's) dependency upon technology, finding that texting and smartphones allow chatting without relationship-building, loneliness in spite of keeping in touch, and increased anxiety.-- "Publishers Weekly"

"As a self-confessed Web-aholic I am well aware that social networks have preyed upon humanity's innate need to connect, and the result is nothing short of a planetary epidemic of info-addiction. We are not only content to live in the Matrix but are increasingly driven to be a cognitive cog in its functionality. Kim Stolz has the mind of a scientist in the body of Millennial. Her experiences on reality television and MTV have made her something of a Jane Goodall of digital culture: she lives among them, ever observant, to catalog and understand their behavior patterns while attempting to determine the landscape of Mankind's future. On its present course, the signs seem to indicate 'not great.'"--Chris Hardwick, host of Comedy Central's "@midnight" and author of "The Nerdist Way"

"I remain hopeful that despite current trends, self-awareness and genuine human connection are achievable among the 'me' generation. Kim Stolz's Unfriending My Ex serves as an entertaining and much needed reminder that we can live without our phones (temporarily) and that being able to laugh at yourself and learn from your mistakes is crucial if you plan to thrive in this digitally connected, fast-paced society."-- "Yaniv "Nev" Schulman, host of MTV's "Catfish""

"Kim Stolz has written an exciting book about love and life in the era of the iPhone. Whether you're addicted to technology or totally anti-social media, she captures the reality of living a sexy, busy, buzzy life today. She's the ultimate cool chick, an authentic artist, and a natural born writer."--Alyssa Shelasky, author of "Apron Anxiety"

"Reading Kim Stolz's riveting, haunting Unfriending My Ex, I found myself wondering, why did it take until 2014 - this many years into the technological revolution - for someone to write a book like this?"--Michael Cunningham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Hours" and "The Snow Queen"

"Stolz explores a topic so current and impactful that I only checked my Twitter and Instagram twice while reading it!"--Caprice Crane, international best-selling author of "Stupid and Contagious" and "Confessions of a Hater"

"From reality show contestant to MTVU VJ to MTV News correspondent to blogger and tireless tweeter, Kim has been at the nexus of all the tech and cultural, um, 'advances' that make the 21st century so unique. I've always known her to have a keen sense of what makes her generation tick - the good, the bad, and the sometimes kinda ugly. Our endlessly opinionated, notoriety-seeking, web connected world. It's hard to remember when it wasn't this way. How did we get here - and where are we headed? Kim Stolz tackles it all in Unfriending My Ex."--Ruby Rose, TV Personality, MTV VJ

"In Unfriending My Ex, Kim Stolz gives us a clear-eyed, exceptionally intelligent look at a phenomenon at once mystifying and unavoidable. The thrall in which social media holds us feels so enchanting, we may be losing control of the most valuable parts of our lives to it. The author, while respectful of both progress and of her generation, seeks to restore that control. Here is the work of a grown-up young woman, hip enough to live successfully in the world as it is, yet thoughtful enough to identify its follies and delusions. If our times may be defined by a smart phone, we should be grateful that Unfriending My Ex is a hell of a lot smarter."--Roger Rosenblatt, author of Rules for Aging: A Wry and Witty Guide to Life

"The cliche holds that anyone south of 30 years old is enriched by digital devices, and happily spends their waking hours on Facebook and Twitter, expanding their network, becoming empowered as writers and thinkers, achieving fame, overthrowing corrupt governments. In this reader-friendly and cogently argued book, Kim Stolz shares another story -- of her digital addiction and how it enslaved her, fraying friendships, and attention spans, and making her and members of her generation less, not more, connected. Unfriending My Ex is a punch in the nose, meant not to knock out technology, but to jolt us to seek more balance in our lives. Because it is so personally honest, it will rivet your attention."--Ken Auletta, author of Googled