Health and Safety

by Emily Witt

Cultural Criticism

Essays

264 Pages

"Witt's incisive analysis of our safety obsession is both darkly funny and deeply unsettling—brilliant cultural commentary."

Synopsis

In Health and Safety, acclaimed journalist and cultural critic Emily Witt examines America's contemporary obsession with risk management, wellness culture, and the illusion of control in an increasingly uncertain world. Through a series of sharp, interconnected essays, Witt explores how the pursuit of safety has become both a national preoccupation and a source of new anxieties, from helicopter parenting and workplace wellness programs to the militarization of everyday spaces and the rise of biosecurity measures. She investigates how our attempts to eliminate risk have created new forms of social control and inequality, showing how safety protocols often serve to reinforce existing power structures rather than protect the vulnerable. Witt examines the wellness industry's promise of optimization and self-improvement, revealing how the rhetoric of health and safety can mask deeper issues of social alienation and economic insecurity. Drawing on her background in investigative journalism, she traces the connections between personal anxiety and systemic failures, showing how individual attempts to achieve security often reflect broader societal breakdowns. The book covers everything from the proliferation of safety warnings and liability concerns to the ways digital technology has created new forms of surveillance disguised as protection. Witt's analysis is both deeply personal and rigorously researched, combining memoir-like observations with incisive cultural criticism. She argues that our safety obsession reveals fundamental contradictions in American life—the simultaneous desire for freedom and security, the individual pursuit of wellness in a collectively unhealthy society, and the ways that attempts to control risk often create new vulnerabilities.

Our Take

Witt brings the analytical rigor of investigative journalism and the stylistic flair of literary nonfiction to one of the most pervasive yet under-examined aspects of contemporary American culture. Her ability to connect seemingly disparate phenomena—from yoga culture to school safety drills—reveals the underlying logic of risk aversion that shapes modern life. Readers who appreciated Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino or The Captured Economy by Brink Lindsey will be drawn to Witt's incisive cultural analysis and her skill at finding broader meaning in everyday experiences. The book's strength lies in its ability to make the familiar strange, helping readers see how normalized safety practices reflect deeper anxieties about class, control, and social belonging. Witt's background covering technology and culture for publications like The New Yorker shows in her sophisticated understanding of how digital platforms have transformed risk perception and management. Her writing style balances accessibility with intellectual depth, making complex sociological concepts understandable without oversimplification. While some readers might find her critiques of wellness culture and safety measures challenging to their own practices, Witt's analysis is more interested in understanding systems than judging individuals. The book's essayistic structure allows for both focused examination of specific phenomena and broader thematic connections. Perfect for readers interested in contemporary American culture, sociology enthusiasts, and anyone who's ever wondered why we seem simultaneously safer and more anxious than previous generations. Health and Safety establishes Witt as one of our sharpest cultural critics, capable of revealing the hidden logic behind the most mundane aspects of modern life.