Praise for This Is Where You Belong

A BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE AWARD FINALIST

“[Warnick’s] journey to feeling attached to where she lives is scientific and packed with research, but also feels like an old friend’s casual banter. This practical exercise in intentional place-based happiness is for the homesick and the optimistic alike.”

—Shelf Awareness

“Two books in one: a well-researched survey of the literature on place attachment, and a how-to guide for readers wanting to fall in love with where they live.”

—Library Journal

“A series of research-backed ways to be happy in a new home.”

—Time

“Warnick knows how to make her interview subjects sparkle and brings together the various elements of the book with finesse. . . . The biggest pleasure of the book, though, is the way Warnick’s search will help readers reflect on their own locales. As someone who was already ‘deeply attached’ to my place (according to the quiz), one might think I found little to take away. On the contrary, I gained fresh insight about why my hometown favorites—from food to friends to public places—make me more measurably connected to my city. I also found a handful of bright ideas to get to know it better. As far as experiments go, that’s a satisfying result.”

—BookPage

“Where we choose to live is the single most important decision we make. Melody Warnick shows you how to find a place you truly love and even more important how to make it your very own. This Is Where You Belong is an important book for so many people out there who are choosing their place to live.”

—Richard Florida, author of Who’s Your City? and Rise of the Creative Class

“With boundless curiosity and spirited, seamless prose, Melody Warnick’s placemaking manifesto will make you want to be a better neighbor, wanderer, and citizen of the world.”

—Beth Macy, author of Factory Man

“Between the lines of this marvelous book is a deeper message for those who seek it. Yes, you can find happiness just about anywhere—and ­Melody Warnick will show you how—but some places are happier than others, and those considering a move would be wise to read these pages first and see where they lead.”

—Jeff Speck, author of Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time

“A charming, thoughtful book about how to find new joys in your own hometown. With suggestions on walking, buying locally, and visiting farmer’s markets, it’s a reminder that the best place to live can be where you already are.”

—Janice Kaplan, New York Times bestselling author of The Gratitude Diaries

“Our neighbors are an overlooked but critical resource in so many ways. This great, readable book from Melody Warnick nails why we should all be doing more to invest in our communities and neighborhoods to ­create more connected, happier, healthier, and safer spaces.”

—Daniel P. Aldrich, author of Building Resilience and Site Fights

“I live in and write about a small Alaskan town and Melody Warnick quantified so many of the reasons why I love Haines. This must be the best how-to book ever written on how (and why) to love the place you live. Read it and share it, and then go out and make your community better.”

—Heather Lende, author of Find the Good: Unexpected Life Lessons from a Small-town Obituary Writer

“Thoughtful, witty, and engaging, Warnick combines personal anecdotes and thorough research to uncover the power and impact of connecting with the people around you. A fun and worthwhile read.”

—Marc J. Dunkelman, visiting fellow at Brown’s Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions, and author of The Vanishing Neighbor

“Warnick convincingly argues that one of the most important relationships in your life is with where you live. This book is an empowering guide for anyone who wonders if they will ever feel like they really ­belong to a community. I already feel more inspired.”

—Kelly McGonigal, author of The Upside of Stress

“Warnick’s book helps clarify what I’d missed by living out of a suitcase.”

—Kira M. Newman, Greater Good Magazine

“Warnick’s book adds to a growing conversation among urbanists around ideas like place-making, livability, and quality of life. . . . Today, there are many voices—public health experts, new urbanists, criminal justice reformers, and others—contending for political and cultural ­legitimacy within our metropolitan centers. Warnick’s book adds to these discourses by capturing an important truth often ignored or ­assumed by many of these voices: any attempt at meaningful change in a community needs citizens who care for that community. . . . Though Warnick’s account focuses primarily on the individual, it’s well worth the read for any city leader or urbanist who wants to cultivate place-­attached citizens rather than transient consumers.”

—Thriving Cities

“An informative and entertaining read.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Journalist Melody Warnick (who’s moved six times in her adult life) has written a terrific book that could help you find yours—or help you make your current community a better place to live.”

—NextAvenue

“Every military spouse needs to read this. Today.”

—Amy Bushatz, SpouseBuzz

“A lovely journey and exploration into the art and science of what makes us feel at home. Warnick’s blend of warm-heartedness, as well as psychological and social research work to create an engaging and thought provoking read.”

—Well-Being Magazine

“Melody Warnick’s This Is Where You Belong helped me cope with my move to a new town.”

—Bustle