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American Breakdown: Our Ailing Nation, My Body's Revolt, and the Nineteenth-Century Woman Who Brought Me Back to Life
A Silent Spring for the human body, this wide-ranging, genre-crossing literary mystery interweaves the author’s quest to understand the source of her own condition with her telling of the story of the chronically ill 19th-century diarist Alice James—ultimately uncovering the many hidden health hazards of life in America. When Jennifer Lunden became chronically ill after moving from Canada to Maine, her case was a medical mystery. Just 21, unable to hold a book or stand for a shower, she lost her job and consigned herself to her bed. The doctor she went to for help told her she was “just depressed.” After suffering from this enigmatic illness for five years, she discovered an unlikely source of hope and a biography of Alice James, the bright, witty, and often bedridden sibling of brothers Henry James, the novelist, and William James, the father of psychology. Alice suffered from a life-shattering illness known as neurasthenia, now often dismissed as a “fashionable illness.” In this meticulously researched and illuminating debut, Lunden interweaves her own experience with Alice’s, exploring the history of medicine and the effects of the industrial revolution and late-stage capitalism to tell a riveting story of how we are a nation struggling—and failing—to be healthy. Although science—and the politics behind its funding—has in many ways let Lunden and millions like her down, in the end science offers a revelation that will change how readers think about the ecosystems of their bodies, their communities, the country, and the planet.
464 pages, Hardcover
Published May 9, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 19, 2024
What an interesting idea for a book. In American Breakdown, Lunden mixes memoir of her own 20+ year journey with chronic fatigue syndrome, the history of a woman dealing with chronic illness in the 1800s, and a contextualization of issues that affect chronic illness like environmental and household toxins, the convoluted healthcare system in America, the ways doctors typically attempt to treat illness, mental health + trauma's effects on chronic illness. It's a lot! At times I was scared and anxious reading this book (especially about household chemicals, cosmetics, and health products...). At times I was agreeing or disagreeing with the political standpoints. I like books that make me think and feel. Maybe it should've been a tiny bit more concise or streamlined (it took me almost 2 weeks to finish), but overall a great read I'll be pondering for a long time.
October 2, 2023
Just as most lawyers should not represent themselves, so too should most people with medical conditions not chronicle their cases. The one exception to that rule is the sublime reporting by Susannah Cahalan in Brain on Fire.
For this author, what began as a search for her CFE/MCS origins and etiology turned into a full-blown treatise about unrelated subjects including social justice, capitalism, history, and much more. The author tried to rope in Alice James to add glue to her narrative, but that never cohered for me. Aside from a shared mysterious malady doctors attributed to female hysteria/overstimulation/repression of emotion, the two shared nothing else. James was an affluent woman who never had to work a day in her life. The author told us at every turn how poor she was. James was catered to by men and a special female friend. The author went it alone for a long time.
There’s a lot of research here and I learned a fair bit, so I revised my rating from 3 to 4. However, I wanted to read about medicine, not wade through the author’s meandering political grandstanding.
For people truly interested in CFS, I highly recommend Hilary Johnson’s Osler’s Web. I read it when it was first published in 1996 and it stands the test of time. It is written by a journalist and is remarkable.
For this author, what began as a search for her CFE/MCS origins and etiology turned into a full-blown treatise about unrelated subjects including social justice, capitalism, history, and much more. The author tried to rope in Alice James to add glue to her narrative, but that never cohered for me. Aside from a shared mysterious malady doctors attributed to female hysteria/overstimulation/repression of emotion, the two shared nothing else. James was an affluent woman who never had to work a day in her life. The author told us at every turn how poor she was. James was catered to by men and a special female friend. The author went it alone for a long time.
There’s a lot of research here and I learned a fair bit, so I revised my rating from 3 to 4. However, I wanted to read about medicine, not wade through the author’s meandering political grandstanding.
For people truly interested in CFS, I highly recommend Hilary Johnson’s Osler’s Web. I read it when it was first published in 1996 and it stands the test of time. It is written by a journalist and is remarkable.
January 1, 2024
Amazing!! Wove so many threads together into an insightful and inspiring book. Lunden provided a window into living with chronic fatigue, disability justice, failures of the US healthcare system, and commodification of our human time and energy within capitalism. She also delved into the dangerous toxic load of our modern world with research about pesticides, cleaning products, carpet, furniture, body care, etc. This book will stick with me for a long time.
April 17, 2023
American Breakdown is a captivating story that braids memoir with literary, scientific, and cultural investigation. In it, Jennifer Lunden considers her own chronic illness expansively, so that we see in it our own vulnerabilities as creatures in the industrial landscape.
She introduces the historical figure of Alice James, sister of the famed author Henry James, who suffered a parallel chronic illness with similar symptoms, so that we understand her situation as one in a continuum of "women's" illnesses, often misrepresented, mistreated, and misunderstood in a medical establishment based on Cartesian ideas of the body, with an overwhelming dearth of women's representation and leadership.
She pauses to investigate pockets in the landscape of our industrial world: the use of arsenic in wallpaper, the use of pesticides in our lawns, the off-gassing of furniture and paint, the scents we use in everything, our exposure to television advertising. Lunden writes in the tradition of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, except brought indoors, where most of modern American lives are now spent, and made deeply personal, so that we are investigating and learning alongside Lunden as she fights for a life that isn't closing in on her.
That Lunden weaves these threads together seamlessly is remarkable, that she does it in an eminently readable way is extraordinary. Lunden's conclusion is dynamic, introducing us to a radically new way of imagining ourselves and our reality through chaos theory. She tells the very practical story of how she applied it to reclaim her health, laying bare how it might revolutionize our understanding of our bodies, ourselves and our places in the universe.
She introduces the historical figure of Alice James, sister of the famed author Henry James, who suffered a parallel chronic illness with similar symptoms, so that we understand her situation as one in a continuum of "women's" illnesses, often misrepresented, mistreated, and misunderstood in a medical establishment based on Cartesian ideas of the body, with an overwhelming dearth of women's representation and leadership.
She pauses to investigate pockets in the landscape of our industrial world: the use of arsenic in wallpaper, the use of pesticides in our lawns, the off-gassing of furniture and paint, the scents we use in everything, our exposure to television advertising. Lunden writes in the tradition of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, except brought indoors, where most of modern American lives are now spent, and made deeply personal, so that we are investigating and learning alongside Lunden as she fights for a life that isn't closing in on her.
That Lunden weaves these threads together seamlessly is remarkable, that she does it in an eminently readable way is extraordinary. Lunden's conclusion is dynamic, introducing us to a radically new way of imagining ourselves and our reality through chaos theory. She tells the very practical story of how she applied it to reclaim her health, laying bare how it might revolutionize our understanding of our bodies, ourselves and our places in the universe.
May 14, 2023
•American Breakdown•Book Tour•Book Review•
#gifted @bibliolifestyle @harper_wave
I have been devouring AMERICAN BREAKDOWN by Jennifer Lunden this week. I thought I would just skim a few quick spots, but I was riveted in the journey to discover this mysterious fatigue that is not unique to our current era. Lunden pairs her quest for answers with the story of Alice James beginning in 1868 with a familiar set of symptoms. The journey of discovery leaves no stone unturned and revealed a layered failure of our culture in the realm of healthcare in avenues that I had not previously known.
I feel like this book has a ton of information and documented research, yet still remains a readable story of discovery. The faults that Lunden points out are certainly flash points for some, but hopefully the dialog can go beyond this and can create thoughtful awareness and care for others.
I was impressed by this book and how wide ranging it became. I will be referring back to the plethora of information to share with others, I am sure. As one who grew up weilding pesticides en masse, I understand the resistance to changes but can't argue the logic or reality of damages done (only one of many triggers). I will also keep this in mind when I have friends who struggle with an unseen illness and need my care and compassion.
#gifted @bibliolifestyle @harper_wave
I have been devouring AMERICAN BREAKDOWN by Jennifer Lunden this week. I thought I would just skim a few quick spots, but I was riveted in the journey to discover this mysterious fatigue that is not unique to our current era. Lunden pairs her quest for answers with the story of Alice James beginning in 1868 with a familiar set of symptoms. The journey of discovery leaves no stone unturned and revealed a layered failure of our culture in the realm of healthcare in avenues that I had not previously known.
I feel like this book has a ton of information and documented research, yet still remains a readable story of discovery. The faults that Lunden points out are certainly flash points for some, but hopefully the dialog can go beyond this and can create thoughtful awareness and care for others.
I was impressed by this book and how wide ranging it became. I will be referring back to the plethora of information to share with others, I am sure. As one who grew up weilding pesticides en masse, I understand the resistance to changes but can't argue the logic or reality of damages done (only one of many triggers). I will also keep this in mind when I have friends who struggle with an unseen illness and need my care and compassion.
May 6, 2023
Finally, a clear, fiery, hopeful explanation of chronic illness.
American Breakdown contains the braided story of two women: the author and a 19th-century diarist who suffered from a similarly mysterious illness. I loved Jennifer Lunden’s book because of how frankly and accurately she shows how toxicants and toxic behavior in our home environments conspire to make us ill.
From arsenic-containing wallpaper in the 19th century to benzene and formaldehyde in carpets today, overlooked chemicals cause long-term symptoms. Doctors focus on diagnoses and tests, an approach which can be ineffective if multiple systems in the body fail simultaneously in difficult to categorize ways. Women report real physical symptoms like headaches, fever, depression, devastating fatigue, and digestive problems, and are frequently not believed by medical professionals.
Lunden’s book not only describes these problems but discusses how to solve them. Reducing stress and chemical exposure, medical professionals listening to patients’ entire story in a holistic way, and a specific kind of desensitization therapy are all proven possibilities for real healing. I highly recommend this fascinating book.
American Breakdown contains the braided story of two women: the author and a 19th-century diarist who suffered from a similarly mysterious illness. I loved Jennifer Lunden’s book because of how frankly and accurately she shows how toxicants and toxic behavior in our home environments conspire to make us ill.
From arsenic-containing wallpaper in the 19th century to benzene and formaldehyde in carpets today, overlooked chemicals cause long-term symptoms. Doctors focus on diagnoses and tests, an approach which can be ineffective if multiple systems in the body fail simultaneously in difficult to categorize ways. Women report real physical symptoms like headaches, fever, depression, devastating fatigue, and digestive problems, and are frequently not believed by medical professionals.
Lunden’s book not only describes these problems but discusses how to solve them. Reducing stress and chemical exposure, medical professionals listening to patients’ entire story in a holistic way, and a specific kind of desensitization therapy are all proven possibilities for real healing. I highly recommend this fascinating book.
June 20, 2023
This book is very involved documenting the author's health disability and a nineteenth-century woman, Alice James, who also suffered from a mysterious illness.
The author goes into the negatives of the American health system, and her struggles to get a proper diagnosis and healthcare.
At times I did not sympathize with her because I also suffer from a disability that is discounted in the health system, not getting enough support and care. My disability is chronic dizziness which is worse, IMO, than fatigue, because when you are constantly dizzy you can't really do anything to fight it, but take medications that knock you out. I can't even lie down flat to sleep, or drive or travel, or walk down the hall without holding on to the wall.
I also was frustrated at all the references to older papers and articles and books. Isn't there any new research?
I'm glad the author finally restored her health because there is a possibly that the discovery of the DNRS might help me too.
The author goes into the negatives of the American health system, and her struggles to get a proper diagnosis and healthcare.
At times I did not sympathize with her because I also suffer from a disability that is discounted in the health system, not getting enough support and care. My disability is chronic dizziness which is worse, IMO, than fatigue, because when you are constantly dizzy you can't really do anything to fight it, but take medications that knock you out. I can't even lie down flat to sleep, or drive or travel, or walk down the hall without holding on to the wall.
I also was frustrated at all the references to older papers and articles and books. Isn't there any new research?
I'm glad the author finally restored her health because there is a possibly that the discovery of the DNRS might help me too.
July 20, 2024
Finally, a book that addresses invisible illness. It highlights the system that has become the norm in our country. It shows how female's health concerns are ignored way more than men's. Doctors are quick to give a psychiatry referral for many women who come in complaining about fatigue, dizziness, pain where no reason exists for it to be there. It details the role the insurance company plays. How insurance companies decide how many patients a person should see. It explains why most doctors don't want to talk to you. They just want to process you and move on to the next patient. It presents ample evidence throughout the book, citing studies and professional journal publications. It also follows the story of a woman wh0 lived during the 19th century whose journal was found. In it, she chronicled her own battle with invisible illness. It does all this in an engaging way, so even the citing and quoting from studies is not boring. My only complaint is it was politically slanted near the middle and end, something I didn't feel necessary to be important.
August 11, 2023
4.5 stars. This is part of a new-ish subgenre that I really like: mixing nonfiction with memoir (see also: The Country of the Blind, Ancestor Trouble, A Thread of Violence, We Keep the Dead Close, I'll Be Gone in the Dark, The Third Rainbow Girl, etc.). Here the author weaves together her own chronic illness and the similar one of Alice James, the history of women's health, a super-interesting part about arsenic wallpaper and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, environmental toxins, the stresses of late capitalism and wealth inequality, the unsustainable demands on doctors, and a possible new direction for treatment (which I didn't exactly understand). Then she ends with a rousing call to activism in the appendix. I think this could be a life-changing book for people and I hope it starts getting more attention!
January 14, 2024
This book is impressive, fascinating and important. Lunden offers a deep dive into the toxic environmental, medical, political, and economic landscapes Americans inhabit. She parallels her personal search for health with that of Alice James in the 19th century, beautifully demonstrating the historical threads of women’s suffering. This human focus is also a counter balance to the complicated scientific and medical issues she tackles. American Breakdown is not an easy book to read (I never thought I would ever learn so much about chemicals), but it is a rewarding one. America is tragically unwell, and Lunden’s clear-eyed critique illustrates how the ravages of capitalism, inequality, outrageous health care costs, and the toxins to which we are daily exposed endanger our bodies, our communities, and our future.
May 22, 2023
This book has some interesting information if it and even gave me ideas for my own battle with chronic illness. The inclusion of someone from the past similar to the author intrigued me. Reading about both accounts also made me view my own struggles in a new light. It’s so easy to feel alone when battling chronic illness.
What I wasn’t expecting was the deep dive into politics that at times definitely lost me. The history was fascinating, but this book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be given the description. I found myself frustrated with some of the author’s proposed solutions knowing that in other countries those solutions do not work as well as people would like them to. I definitely agree that things need to change here in America. The way things are regulated, the access to healthcare, the treatments only available to a small number of people because of the cost. There is definitely a lot to be learned in these pages.
Thank you to Harper Wave via Bibliolifestyle for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
What I wasn’t expecting was the deep dive into politics that at times definitely lost me. The history was fascinating, but this book wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be given the description. I found myself frustrated with some of the author’s proposed solutions knowing that in other countries those solutions do not work as well as people would like them to. I definitely agree that things need to change here in America. The way things are regulated, the access to healthcare, the treatments only available to a small number of people because of the cost. There is definitely a lot to be learned in these pages.
Thank you to Harper Wave via Bibliolifestyle for the copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
May 21, 2023
Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harper_wave for my gifted copy. My thoughts are my own.
I really enjoyed this memoir. The author describes how she moved to the US to start her life as an independent adult. But shortly after settling in Maine, she became very ill. Her doctors dismissed her illness with various excuses, saying she was depressed. She describes her difficulty getting anyone to believe her or to even recognize her illness as a genuine malady. She discovers a biography of a woman who lived a century before and finds inspiration and healing through that.
Read this if you enjoy:
*memoirs
*true medical stories
*health journeys
*inspirational stories
I really enjoyed this memoir. The author describes how she moved to the US to start her life as an independent adult. But shortly after settling in Maine, she became very ill. Her doctors dismissed her illness with various excuses, saying she was depressed. She describes her difficulty getting anyone to believe her or to even recognize her illness as a genuine malady. She discovers a biography of a woman who lived a century before and finds inspiration and healing through that.
Read this if you enjoy:
*memoirs
*true medical stories
*health journeys
*inspirational stories
July 16, 2023
This book reads like a detective story. It's full of (detailed, well-researched) information on our healthcare system, intertwined with the story of Alice James (sister of Henry and William James), as well as the author, 100 years later. The both fell prey to mysterious, debilitating diseases. They both had trouble finding doctors who would hear, and try to heal them. They both found roadblocks, when medicine could not pinpoint the problem and solve it. Therefore, it must be "in their heads". There is a fascinating story behind how our healthcare system became what it is. The canary on the cover says volumes. A must read, for sure.
July 6, 2023
It took me much longer to read this book than I anticipated—I wasn’t sure what to expect, but suffering from a similar chronic illness to the author, I’m willing to read anything that can bring insight and help.
At times it felt like Lunden may have bitten off more than she could chew—there truly isn’t much she leaves out of this book, she’s willing to take a lens to it all—but in the end I learned so much and felt like I came away from this book having learned so much. Information that was not only relevant to me, but just interesting in general.
At times it felt like Lunden may have bitten off more than she could chew—there truly isn’t much she leaves out of this book, she’s willing to take a lens to it all—but in the end I learned so much and felt like I came away from this book having learned so much. Information that was not only relevant to me, but just interesting in general.
September 20, 2023
Jennifer Lunden is a poetic journalist! Lunden has masterfully crafted a narrative that is engaging and heartfelt. She transforms the science and historical contexts of disease into a captivating tale of misdeeds and dismissals by those who have taken oaths to care for their fellow human beings. It is a memoir of the highest caliber and a forceful indictment of a capitalist medical establishment that seems to have forgotten how to listen, particularly to women, without judgement. It is a memoir of hope and life. Highly recommend.
October 19, 2023
I thought I had good knowledge of Alice James (sister to writers Henry and William), thanks to Jean Strouse’s biography. But Jennifer Lunden’s recent book, American Breakdown, has given me so many new insights to chronic illness and treatments. While re-examining James and the 19th century, Lunden also tells the story of her own journey with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and autoimmune issues. The dual account is well-written and well-researched. An engaging book that deserves the attention it has received this year.
February 26, 2024
Definitely a good reminder of how our healthcare system is a business and businesses go unchecked in many ways in this country. When compared to the overwhelming success of universal Healthcare in other countries I wonder if that would ever work in the U.S.
Other countries have more homogenous populations, whereas the u.s. is perhaps the world's largest melting pot. Getting everyone on board, or most people, with universal Healthcare seems unlikely in this country. However without it, we ensure the rich stay rich and poor stay poor.
Other countries have more homogenous populations, whereas the u.s. is perhaps the world's largest melting pot. Getting everyone on board, or most people, with universal Healthcare seems unlikely in this country. However without it, we ensure the rich stay rich and poor stay poor.
June 11, 2024
The author’s story is interesting and I kept on with the book through its less interesting moments in order to follow her CFS journey. Alices story drags a bit at times. The book was surprisingly political; There’s definitely problems with healthcare in the US but she had healthcare difficulties in Canada too (she’s Canadian). Universal health care or not, modern medicine doesn’t know how to handle chronic illness unfortunately.
I’m glad the author found resources like The Gupta Program and DNRS because they’ve helped so many with chronic illness.
I’m glad the author found resources like The Gupta Program and DNRS because they’ve helped so many with chronic illness.
July 28, 2023
Everyone should read this book.
Jennifer Lunden chronicles her debilitating, mysterious, chronic illness, which mirrors the suffering of Alice James, sister of author Henry James in the 1860s. The stuff she uncovers while searching for cause and cure is enlightening for the general public, not just those with similar health issues.
Jennifer Lunden chronicles her debilitating, mysterious, chronic illness, which mirrors the suffering of Alice James, sister of author Henry James in the 1860s. The stuff she uncovers while searching for cause and cure is enlightening for the general public, not just those with similar health issues.
August 6, 2023
This is a phenomenal piece of research and memoir. Why are so many of us, mostly women, chronically ill? Jennifer Lunden explores all the causes and the women-shaming, self-blaming that have plagued the search for cures. I marvel at the work and personal exploration it took to write this book. Every healthcare provider in the country, every shaper of public policy, needs to read it.
June 18, 2023
A fascinating and compelling exploration of illness — in particular women’s illness — in the context of American social and environmental issues. Exhaustively (literally and metaphorically, in Lunden’s case) and methodically researched and documented.
July 16, 2023
An absolutely fascinating, compelling weaving of personal story with mega-research. It has made me think and rethink so many things about our nation, our bodies, and how we can reclaim them. Highly recommend.
December 26, 2023
Memoire, biography (Alice James) and medical history all brought together in a comprehensive and comprehendible manner. Ms. Lunden does a good job of shedding light on how and why chronic, and apparently psychosomatic, diseases need not be forever.
March 21, 2023
A powerful memoir about chronic illness in American society today, and how we can reframe it. Thoroughly researched and thought provoking, if a bit all over the place.
October 20, 2023
Audible
October 16, 2023
This was on my top of the list to read this year. I am heavily invested in Long COVID studies and curious about ME-CFS. This book goes into the details of ME-CFS and overall chronic illnesses. I really liked the author’s approach of mixing history, mystery, science, medicine, and personal narrative to showcase just how detrimental ME-CFS is. Yes, the science shows that some people have a higher chance of a genetic disposition to the disease, but since Long COVID came into the mainstream since 2020, I know anyone can be infected with some type of chronic illness anytime. I commend the author for writing this book while suffering from ME-CFS—it is a formidable task to get a book published while suffering from a chronic illness. I believe this book should be read by ALL medical professionals and students. It gives an empathetic perspective on people who suffer from this disease and forces medical care to learn to trust and believe their patients even if test results don’t match. I especially enjoyed her discussion on democratic socialism versus capitalism and their approaches to healthcare and health insurance. I am tired of the American healthcare system and insurance industry. It needs a major restructuring to put people’s health first above wealth.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews