A groundbreaking investigation into the American decline in lifespan that impacts us all, by the award-winning founder of the University of Pennsylvania’s Opportunity for Health Lab—and a compassionate roadmap to better health, more connection, and stronger communities.

The American Dream was built on a simple promise: if you work hard, you will get ahead. Today, that promise feels out of reach for many of us.

Weaving together fascinating cross-disciplinary research and captivating stories from his patients, Dr. Atheen, as he is known to his patients, presents a stunning diagnosis for how widespread economic and social hopelessness causes us to become and stay sick. The trajectory we could have had with our life expectancy versus the one we did have amounts to twenty million missed birthdays.

Stuck in America wrestles with why our friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues are getting sicker and dying younger and why it matters for all of us, and offers a hopeful guide to a future the fulfills the promise of our country. With Dr. Atheen’s guidance, learn to:

• Uncover Economic Pressure Points: Recognize the hidden ways the economy impacts our physical and mental health.
• Name the Roadblocks: Identify the systemic barriers that keep communities trapped in cycles of poverty.
• Realize the Cost of Poor Health: Understand the toll of chronic financial stress on the human body.
• Push for Local Change: Advocate for community-led initiatives and policy changes that promote mobility.