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 SEE