America Through the Looking Glass

The headlines tell us that safety and connection are at odds with one another. That it's too dangerous out there in the world, too divided, too broken to let our guard down. So, we choose the safer, more convenient route. The one that we can control. We connect through screens, optimize our time, click on apps to help us, and wonder why we still feel so alone.

But all around us, human connection is happening without an app, a checklist, or a bot. In small towns and big cities, at state fairs, meat auctions, and farms, strangers are still stopping to see one another. They are putting their guard down and letting others in.

These stories come from 9,000 miles of driving across this country, as well as from people who live just down the street. Whether while drinking tea on a porch in unincorporated Alabama, feeding pigs in West Virginia, or eating cheese curds in Wisconsin, their stories have helped me examine how we are living our lives — and question what modern-day conveniences are actually serving us. I hope that their stories open up something for you too.