---
product_id: 529005763
title: "Only Love Can Break Your Heart"
price: "NZ$61"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/529005763-only-love-can-break-your-heart
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# Explores diverse American subcultures & identities Nuanced essays blend reportage & storytelling Original, thought-provoking literary journalism Only Love Can Break Your Heart

**Price:** NZ$61
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Summary

> 📖 Unlock the stories that shape America’s soul — don’t miss out on this literary gem!

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- **How much does it cost?** NZ$61 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/529005763-only-love-can-break-your-heart)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Key Features

- • **Cultural Mosaic Explored:** From radicals to suburban hip-hop stars, discover stories that reveal the complex American landscape.
- • **Timeless Themes, Fresh Takes:** Engage with essays that challenge notions of identity, dreams, and disillusionment in today’s world.
- • **Collector’s Choice in Good Condition:** Own a well-preserved used copy of a critically acclaimed essay collection that resonates with millennial professionals.
- • **Original Voices, Unmatched Perspective:** Experience David Samuels' unique narrative style, blending investigative depth with personal reflection.
- • **A Literary Journey Through Modern America:** Dive into essays that capture the pulse of contemporary culture with sharp insight and stylistic flair.

## Overview

Only Love Can Break Your Heart is a compelling collection of essays by David Samuels, blending elegant personal narratives with incisive reportage on diverse American subcultures. Praised for its original voice and insightful exploration of identity and cultural dislocation, this used book in good condition offers millennial professionals a thought-provoking read that bridges literary journalism and contemporary social commentary.

## Description

In Only Love Can Break Your Heart , David Samuels writes with a reportorial acumen and stylistic flair that recall the pioneering New Journalism of Gay Talese, Tom Wolfe, and Joan Didion. Combining elegant, nuanced personal essays with far-out reporting--on the lives of radicals in the Pacific Northwest, anti-abortion zealots, demolition experts, suburban hip-hop stars, and more--Samuels shows us an American landscape whose unsettling mix of profound dislocations and blue-sky optimism is both instantly recognizable and thrillingly new. These essays display his unusual sensitivity to both the tragic and comic dissonances that bubble up from the gap between the American promise of endless nirvana and the lives of salesman, dreamers, aging baseball legends, crackpots, atomic test site workers, and dog track bettors who struggle to live out their dreams one day at a time.

Review: Excellent Perspective on Modern America - I first came across David Samuels' work after reading his story on Britany Spears and the tabloid media in "Atlantic Monthly." I found his take quite original, his writing very strong, and his conclusions thought-provoking. His entire essay collection 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' was equally enjoyable. I can't think of a writer to compare Samuels too and I say that as a compliment. He is very original. If I was pressed, I would compare him to a more intellectual - and darker - Chuck Klosterman. There are some fascinating essays in this book, esp. the pieces on Woodstock 1999, the Super Bowl in Detroit, and the leftis lunatics in Eugene. One minor quibble with the book is his personal essays. This is the reason I can't give 5 stars to this book. With all due respect to Samuels, I really don't care about his failed relationships or why he decided to move to Miami to be with some gal. These essays belong in another book and they detract from his investigative pieces. But they are a small portion of the book. Overall, this is a very good book. I truly hope Samuels keeps writing articles, as a voice like his is much needed in contemporary non-fiction.
Review: Singing words, words between the lines of age... - On the surface, this collection offers dependable entertainment with its blend of sharp reporting and compassionate, good-humored storytelling. But woven throughout the stories is a provocative concept ignited in the reader's mind by Samuels' preface: that perhaps we owe it to ourselves to re-configure our notions about identity, and all the goals that follow. "My story has something to do with our national gift for self-delusion and for making ourselves up from scratch, which is much the same thing as believing in the future," Samuels writes, noting younger generations' struggles to find a sense of self when traditional mainstays like family dinners are less prominent. To suffice, we grasp for concrete systems to help us feel in control -- it may be a Florida greyhound bettor who feels invincible in the face of chance. Or Oregonian anarchists who think they're making a difference when reality suggests otherwise. Or a Woodstock 1999 organizer who's lost sight of what really matters so much that music and togetherness get trumped by four-dollar water bottles and corporate detachment. The truth is, Samuels suggests, that in trying to define ourselves amid the tumult of modern America, we all get lost in the mire to some extent. "The fact that we lie like crazy while pretending to always tell the truth is such a common narrative strategy in American literature and American lives that we frequently confuse our wishful imaginings with reality." Or, as Neil Young says in the song that lends this book its name, "I have a friend I've never seen/ He hides his head inside a dream..." Samuels' writing has an intelligent, approachable eloquence that brings the traditions of literary journalism to a new level. At points, it's hard not to get entranced in his stories of dreams and disillusionment, from Pentagon meetings to more personal experiences. But with subtle precision and piercing insight, Samuels colors every page with his particular wisdom. It's as if each piece were written for this book -- though the fact that this isn't the case lends a beautiful fluidity to the collection. He respects our ability to parse the stories for ourselves, taking from them what we choose. Each story offers a layer, creating what in the end is a new portrait of the reader's unique sense of self and appreciation of others.

## Features

- Used Book in Good Condition

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #3,614,889 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6,931 in Essays (Books) #331,241 in History (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 15 Reviews |

## Images

![Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/811PDSEYaoL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Perspective on Modern America
*by A***Y on April 10, 2008*

I first came across David Samuels' work after reading his story on Britany Spears and the tabloid media in "Atlantic Monthly." I found his take quite original, his writing very strong, and his conclusions thought-provoking. His entire essay collection 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' was equally enjoyable. I can't think of a writer to compare Samuels too and I say that as a compliment. He is very original. If I was pressed, I would compare him to a more intellectual - and darker - Chuck Klosterman. There are some fascinating essays in this book, esp. the pieces on Woodstock 1999, the Super Bowl in Detroit, and the leftis lunatics in Eugene. One minor quibble with the book is his personal essays. This is the reason I can't give 5 stars to this book. With all due respect to Samuels, I really don't care about his failed relationships or why he decided to move to Miami to be with some gal. These essays belong in another book and they detract from his investigative pieces. But they are a small portion of the book. Overall, this is a very good book. I truly hope Samuels keeps writing articles, as a voice like his is much needed in contemporary non-fiction.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Singing words, words between the lines of age...
*by S***A on March 29, 2008*

On the surface, this collection offers dependable entertainment with its blend of sharp reporting and compassionate, good-humored storytelling. But woven throughout the stories is a provocative concept ignited in the reader's mind by Samuels' preface: that perhaps we owe it to ourselves to re-configure our notions about identity, and all the goals that follow. "My story has something to do with our national gift for self-delusion and for making ourselves up from scratch, which is much the same thing as believing in the future," Samuels writes, noting younger generations' struggles to find a sense of self when traditional mainstays like family dinners are less prominent. To suffice, we grasp for concrete systems to help us feel in control -- it may be a Florida greyhound bettor who feels invincible in the face of chance. Or Oregonian anarchists who think they're making a difference when reality suggests otherwise. Or a Woodstock 1999 organizer who's lost sight of what really matters so much that music and togetherness get trumped by four-dollar water bottles and corporate detachment. The truth is, Samuels suggests, that in trying to define ourselves amid the tumult of modern America, we all get lost in the mire to some extent. "The fact that we lie like crazy while pretending to always tell the truth is such a common narrative strategy in American literature and American lives that we frequently confuse our wishful imaginings with reality." Or, as Neil Young says in the song that lends this book its name, "I have a friend I've never seen/ He hides his head inside a dream..." Samuels' writing has an intelligent, approachable eloquence that brings the traditions of literary journalism to a new level. At points, it's hard not to get entranced in his stories of dreams and disillusionment, from Pentagon meetings to more personal experiences. But with subtle precision and piercing insight, Samuels colors every page with his particular wisdom. It's as if each piece were written for this book -- though the fact that this isn't the case lends a beautiful fluidity to the collection. He respects our ability to parse the stories for ourselves, taking from them what we choose. Each story offers a layer, creating what in the end is a new portrait of the reader's unique sense of self and appreciation of others.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A great collection of stories that I commonly reference back to ...
*by P***E on February 24, 2015*

Clean, precise prose that flow actively into the next. A great collection of stories that I commonly reference back to for reassurance that I'm not the only crazy person trying to survive in New York City.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.nz/products/529005763-only-love-can-break-your-heart](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/529005763-only-love-can-break-your-heart)

---

*Product available on Desertcart New Zealand*
*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-09-28*