Hamlet’s BlackBerry, the book

A New York Times best-seller

A crisp, passionately argued answer to the question that everyone who’s grown dependent on digital devices is asking:

“Where’s the rest of my life?”

At a time when we’re all trying to make sense of our relentlessly connected lives, this revelatory book presents a bold new approach to the digital age. Our computers and mobile devices do wonderful things for us. But they also impose an enormous burden, making it harder for us to focus, do our best work, build strong relationships, and find the depth and fulfillment we crave.

Using his own life as laboratory and object lesson, and drawing on such great thinkers as Plato, Shakespeare and Thoreau, Powers shows that digital connectedness serves us best when it’s balanced by its opposite, disconnectedness.

The Katie Couric interview | The PBS NewsHour piece
The Wall Street Journal review | The New York Times review
The NPR Morning Edition piece | The Diane Rehm Show interview

Buy the book | More about the book | More reviews and media coverage

Advance praise for Hamlet’s BlackBerry:

“To those dithering over whether to close down Facebook accounts, resign from the Twitterati, and resume a more contemplative and more properly connected life, this remarkable book presents the answers and the validations for which you have been hoping.  William Powers, brave in intent and wise in argument, offers in these pages an oasis of serenity and sanity, a sanctuary from a world fast turning into a limitless digital Sahara.”
Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman & The Man Who Loved China

“Always connected. Anytime. Anyplace. We know it’s a blessing, but we’re starting to notice that it’s also a curse. In Hamlet’s BlackBerry, William Powers helps us understand what being ‘connected’ disconnects us from. This is a thoughtful, elegant, and moving book.”
Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less

“A brilliant and thoughtful handbook for the Internet age – why we have this screen addiction, its many perils, and some surprising remedies that can make your life better.”
Bob Woodward

“Incisive. . . Refreshing. . . Compelling.”
Publishers Weekly