Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Is Killing America's Heartland

Born in 1964, Jonathan M. Metzl is an American psychiatrist, sociologist, and author whose work combines medicine, social science, and cultural analysis. He is known for his research on the intersection of race, health, and politics and his focus on how white identity influences public health in the United States.

Metzl grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and began his academic career at the University of Missouri with two Bachelor’s degrees, one in biology and one in English literature. Metzl then earned his MD from the University of Missouri and continued to explore his interest in literature and sociology with a Master’s degree in poetry from Stanford University and a PhD in American studies from the University of Michigan. Metzl became a psychiatrist, and his early work explored the cultural ramifications of mental illness with books like Prozac on the Couch (2003) and The Protest Psychosis (2010).

In 2019, Metzl gained widespread recognition and critical acclaim for his book Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America's Heartland. In the book, Metzl draws on his personal experience with Middle America as well as his medical and academic backgrounds to investigate how policies built on racial resentment can have devastating public health consequences for all demographics.