For most Americans, the driving force in their personal and public life is a desire to attain the “good life”. But what if our attachment to that desire is the very thing holding us back? Lauren Berlant is a theorist and English professor at the University of Chicago and the author of “Cruel Optimism” a book about when you're attached to forms of life that fundamentally get in the way of the attachment you brought to them.

Berlant has been writing about finding attachment and belonging in America her entire career. But she says the Presidency of Donald Trump has completely shattered our understanding of what it means to have a public and a shared connection as citizens. But she wants to try and reshape things.

• Lauren Berlant episode show notes and full transcript
• Read more about Berlant's literary works

Talk to Big Brains on Twitter: @BigBrainsUC

Find more Big Brains transcript and show notes here: https://news.uchicago.edu/podcasts/big-brains

Subscribe to Big Brains on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.