Book Review: This Is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live by Melody Warnick

In the spirit of Gretchen Rubin's megaseller The Happiness Project and Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss, a journalist embarks on a project to discover what it takes to love where you live

The average restless American will move 11.7 times in a lifetime. For Melody Warnick, it was move #6, from Austin, Texas, to Blacksburg, Virginia, that threatened to unhinge her. In the lonely aftermath of unpacking, she wondered: Aren't we supposed to put down roots at some point? How does the place we live become the place we want to stay? This time, she had an epiphany. Rather than hold her breath and hope this new town would be her family's perfect fit, she would figure out how to fall in love with it--no matter what.      How we come to feel at home in our towns and cities is what Warnick sets out to discover in This Is Where You Belong. She dives into the body of research around place attachment--the deep sense of connection that binds some of us to our cities and increases our physical and emotional well-being--then travels to towns across America to see it in action. Inspired by a growing movement of placemaking, she examines what its practitioners are doing to create likeable locales. She also speaks with frequent movers and loyal stayers around the country to learn what draws highly mobile Americans to a new city, and what makes us stay. The best ideas she imports to her adopted hometown of Blacksburg for a series of Love Where You Live experiments designed to make her feel more locally connected. Dining with her neighbors. Shopping Small Business Saturday. Marching in the town Christmas parade.      Can these efforts make a halfhearted resident happier? Will Blacksburg be the place she finally stays? What Warnick learns will inspire you to embrace your own community--and perhaps discover that the place where you live right now . . . is home.

From the Hardcover edition.

I have to be honest. I am the type of person that packs up and moves every three years. I don’t know WHY I just get that itch that my life would be better if I were SOMEWHERE ELSE. I am a freelance ghostwriter, so I can live anywhere and maybe that is the problem. I never give anyplace a chance. I am currently in Cleveland, and I have been here a record of 5 years. I am starting to get that itch again so when I saw this book as a daily Kindle deal I grabbed it in the hopes that it would have some clues on how to love where I live. I am tired of packing up and leaving so this was the perfect opportunity to get some insight on how to NOT give in to that itch.

What I Liked

First of all, I loved how honest she was about that itch in moving. I could completely understand. I thought it was me and that I had issues but reading this I realized that America is the most mobile country on earth. It seems that almost half of us pack up and move every three to 5 years. I felt a LOT better after reading that.

I also loved her background information. Providing background information can be dangerous as some authors into boring you to tears. But not Melody Warnick her insights and information was highly useful to a person such as me who after three years thinks that ANYWHERE else would be the perfect place.  I feel lots better knowing that I am just one of millions of Americans who think the same

I loved her checklists on how to make roots and feel like you belong. I realized that I do that here in Cleveland more than any other place I have lived. Maybe it causes with my Cochlear Ear Implants I can hear now, and I became more involved in the community. for example I joined a book club at the library. I go to bookish events, and I frequent my favorite used bookstore, and I have become great friends at the little health food store I found near my apartment. In every other place I lived, I never did any of that. So I realize now that suppose I get married and move I know what to do to put down roots wherever I end up, but you know what? For the time being, I am staying here in Cleveland because I feel like I finally have a life here and THAT makes all the difference.

What I Did Not Like

The only complaint that I have was I wanted to hear more of HER story and not research facts all the time. She gives us little looks into her life but not as much as some other authors do. I can understand some people need privacy and are not as open, but sometimes it felt as if I was reading a textbook. I went into it expecting more of a memoir type thing so maybe that why that bugged me.

I enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I learned how to put down roots, and I realized that while I may not be out placemaking, I do get involved in the community in some ways, and that makes all the difference. I think that’s why I  have stayed here a record of 5 years. My friends can’t believe that I would stay in Cleveland for so long, but I do like it here. I would recommend this book to anyone feeling that old familiar itch to move..move…move…. Trust me I have moved dozens of times, and no place is “better” if you don’t attempt to put down some roots. So if you are one of the people who has a VIP to Uhaul then go and read this book…you can thank me later.

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