The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at the Heart of a Community
The Great Good Placehas put into words and focus what I've been doing all my life, from the barbershop I remember as a child to the bookstore I now own. My goal at Horizon Books is to provide that third place in which people can "hang out." Ray Oldenburg has defined those good places while still recognizing the magical chemistry they require.The Great Good Placeis a book to read, to recommend, and to quote.  --Victor W. Herman, owner of Horizon Books, with locations in Traverse City, Petoskey, and Cadillac, MichiganA book that should be read by everyone in North America over the age of 16  --The World of BeerA day doesn't go by that I don't refer to Ray Oldenburg'sThe Great Good Place. At a time when all great, good independent bookstores everywhere are under siege, we're fortunate that Mr. Oldenburg has articulated our message so clearly.  --Mitchell Kaplan, owner of Books & Books, Miami, FloridaExamines gathering places and reminds us how important they are. People need the 'third place' to nourish sociability.  --ParadeOldenburg believes that the powerful need in humans to associate with one another will inevitably lead to the revival of places where, as the theme song to the TV show Cheers so aptly put it, 'everyone knows your name.' We'll drink to that.  --BooklistRay Oldenburg is inspirational. He is the first to recognize and articulate the importance of the greeting place (third place) for the well-being of the individual and society at large.  --Ron Sher, President, Terranomics Development and founder of Third Place Books, Seattle, Wash.The great value of this book is that Mr. Oldenburg has given us an insightful and extremely useful new lens through which to look at a familiar problem.  --New York Times Book ReviewThis wonderful and utterly important book verifies our need for fun through conversation in "great good places." Oldenburg writes passionately of our country's current and urgent problems resulting from our ever-increasing social isolation and provides us with a very simple solution. America must read and react to this rational common-sense solution to salving our stressed lives. And our government needs to promote, permit, and zone responsible neighborhood hospitality, recognizing the value of "a vital informal life."  --Lynne Breaux, owner, Tunnicliff's Tavern, Washington, D.C.Well-written, informative, and often entertaining.  --Newark Star-Ledger