Adventures, surprises, and revelations from across the pond.

It looks to me like it’s been 6 1/2 years since I posted anything for subscribers to my website newsletter. Did I even tell you that after 20 years of research and writing, my book, American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body’s Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life, was published by HarperCollins in 2023?

You can read more about it here. 

But I’m writing to you today to let you know that I’VE MOVED TO FRANCE. And I’ve started a weekly Substack newsletter about my experiences here. It’s called Recovering American, and you can follow along for free! Here is my first post, published shortly after I arrived a month ago. If you have questions, you may find answers here, in my second post.

I’m interested in how systems shape inner lives—why some countries are easier on the nervous system than the United States, and the cultural, political, and economic forces responsible for that difference. Recovering American is for readers who are inquisitive, seeking respite, and willing to sit with complexity. You don’t have to want to leave the U.S. to enjoy it; you only have to question whether the American way of life is the best—or only—way to be fully human.

I’d love to see you over at Substack!