New York

Trying to be American can be exhausting.

Originally commissioned as weekly columns by the German newspaper Die Zeit, the 52 miniatures in this book describe Lily Brett’s encounters, observations, challenges and triumphs in her adopted home.

Lily Brett turns her razor-sharp gaze on the city which has entertained, inspired and perplexed her for the many years she has lived in SoHo with her husband and three children. Lily muses on the lack of single men, the effect Monica Lewinsky has had on body image, New York street conversations, celebrity hairdressers and plastic surgery – all told with her characteristic wit and insight.