The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion

By Luke Burgis

How to become yourself without losing everyone else.

We're living in a time when it's harder than ever to become a whole person--and to stay in authentic community. Some people dissolve into their group identities and lose themselves entirely. Others withdraw into ephemeral, online collectives they can float into and out of without consequence. Both are symptoms of the same problem: a fragmented sense of self in an age of social contagion. This fragmentation is more than a personal crisis--it's the soil in which hollow and often dangerous mass movements take root, offering counterfeit belonging to those desperate for meaning.

The One and the Ninety-Nine is a timely and inspiring exploration of what it means to forge a stable identity in the face of coercion, conformity, and the contagious desires of the crowd. Through compelling and original insights drawn from philosophy, psychology, and personal experience, author Luke Burgis examines how our lives are shaped by the groups we belong to--and how we, in turn, shape those groups. He offers a roadmap for engaging with modern society without losing our unique sense of personhood, and reveals the essential rites of passage and personal challenges that differentiate a life of meaning from one dictated by societal expectations.

People who are able to find their solid self and thrive in the space between the one and the many--who can act with integrity while being part of a community--live freer and more comfortable lives and become models for others. The One and the Ninety-Nine is a call to reject passive conformity, rediscover the depth of personality, and choose a life that is both truly personal and deeply connected.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250373034
• ISBN13: 9781250373038
• Release Date: July 2026
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.3"