First published 2024
National Book Award finalist Jenn Shapland examines how capitalism infiltrates our physical world, our bodies, and our consciousness. Diagnosed with severe dermatologic sensitivity that makes her skin literally thin, Shapland recognizes the permeable boundaries between herself and her environment. She weaves together historical research, interviews, and observations from her daily life in New Mexico to investigate connections between self and work, humans and animals, necessity and want. Shapland traces nuclear weapons development on Native territories, following contamination trails that extend into her own family's medical records. She interrogates toxic ideals of white womanhood and the manufactured fears that restrict women's movement. As a queer woman seeking to build a creative existence, she questions whether meaningful life remains possible within capitalist structures. Through her exploration, Shapland reveals how our smallest decisions ripple outward to affect distant people, places, and species, challenging illusions of individual isolation and safety.
Genres: american-fiction, feminism, environment, biography-memoir, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, social-commentary
Setting: New Mexico, Native Territories
Period: 21st Century
288 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: medical-trauma