American Alt: A True Story of Madness and Friendship in a Fractured Country
Review Quotes: "Lockhart explores themes of mental illness, conspiracy theories and trauma with intelligence and compassion, and his writing is first-rate. This is a sometimes-chilling book, but - in this particularly fraught moment in American...
|
Review Quotes: "Lockhart explores themes of mental illness, conspiracy theories and trauma with intelligence and compassion, and his writing is first-rate. This is a sometimes-chilling book, but - in this particularly fraught moment in American history - an absolutely vital one." --Michael Schaub, Los Angeles Times, "Best of the Summer 2026" "Extraordinary . . . Most potently, the book is a moving portrait of rekindled camaraderie based on mutual empathy. It's an exceptional exploration of mental illness and friendship in the wreckage of American decline." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review "[Michael] Dodd found the perfect chronicler of his story in his friend [Chris] Lockhart. American Alt indelibly explores Lockhart and Dodd's attempts to unravel the missing pieces in Dodd's brilliant but disordered mind, an often heart-rending journey with significant revelations for both men. This is an unforgettable and stirring read for our fractured times." -- Booklist "Chris Lockhart's American Alt is a mesmerizing, compassionate, and deeply meaningful exploration of a perilous corridor of American life. By recounting the story of a friend whose mental illness brought him to the brink of conspiracy-fueled violence, Lockhart discovers hidden truths in his own story-and in the way many of us live now." -- Robert Kolker, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD "A triumph of character and place, American Alt goes where few books dare: deep into the fractured psyche of the American west. It's a bold, unflinching study of individual, collective, and environmental trauma written with the page-turning lucidity of a thriller." -- Maxim Loskutoff, author of OLD KING and COME WEST AND SEEBiographical Note: Chris Lockhart has a Ph.D. in Medical Anthropology from the University of California San Francisco and Berkeley and is the coauthor of Tupa Tjipombo's memoir, I Am Not Your Slave. He is the co-author with Daniel Mulilo Chama of Walking the Bowl: A True Story of Murder and Survival Among the Street Children of Lusaka, a New York Times notable book and NPR Best of the Year. He grew up in the South Puget Sound Region of Western Washington and continues to live part time there. Publisher Marketing: A glimpse into the mind of an American conspiracy theorist, the schizophrenia, trauma, and misinformation that drove him to the brink, and the friendship that brought him back. Review Citations:
|