Amber Lapp has spent years living among the people and places she writes about. Not merely taking on economically struggling communities as a neutral observer, but becoming a neighbor. A research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies and co-investigator of the Love and Marriage in Middle America Project, she reads questions of civic renewal through the moral vocabulary of dignity, solidarity, hospitality, and hope—held open on behalf of people who have stopped holding it for themselves. On the opening night of the Understory Festival, she reflected on what those years of listening have taught her—stories of a friend who felt everything she touched turned to ash, a neighbor haunted by anxiety attacks that arrive without warning, and the peculiar loneliness of a life conducted across "a vast digital prairie," where alienation creates the feeling of "living among ghosts." Beneath all of it runs a single question: "How many of our social troubles are downstream from people doubting their dignity?" This reflection originally appeared in our episode, "What Is Struggling to Be Born?" framed by an address from Fr. Tomáš Halík and recorded at the National Cathedral on the Understory's opening night. Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at team@comment.org. The Understory is a production of Comment (comment.org), published by Cardus (cardus.ca). Hosted by Anne Snyder. Edited by Allie Crummy. Produced by Tiffany Thompson and Evan Rosa. Subscribe to The Understory wherever you get your podcasts. Episode Highlights "For us screw ups, it means not closing the door on hope." "She felt interiorly hollowed out, worthless, and like everything she touched turned to ash." "On the one hand, people of goodwill, working for nonprofits and institutions and wanting to do good. And then on the other, people who are alienated and squatters on a kind of institutional no man's land." About Amber Lapp Amber Lapp is a research fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, an adviser at American Compass, and co-investigator of the Love and Marriage in Middle America Project, a qualitative study of how working-class young adults form relationships and families. She and her husband David live in southwestern Ohio with their six children, where she volunteers as a catechist at their parish and at Lydia's House, a Catholic Worker house of hospitality for women and children. A member of Braver Angels, she is focused on how ordinary Americans might actually take part in public life. Her writing has appeared in National Review, First Things, USA Today, The Federalist, The American Conservative, Comment, and The Atlantic. She holds a BA in philosophy, politics, and economics from The King's College. Helpful Links and Resources Amber Lapp at the Institute for Family Studies: https://ifstudies.org/about-us/amber-lapp Her writing for IFS: https://ifstudies.org/blog/author/amber-lapp Episode 2: What Is Struggling to Be Born? — Fr. Tomáš Halík https://comment.org/podcasts/what-is-struggling-to-be-born/ pisode 1: Welcome to the Understory, Where the Future Quietly Takes Root — Anne Snyder https://comment.org/podcasts/welcome-to-the-understory/ #TheUnderstory #Comment #Cardus #AmberLapp #WorkingClass #Dignity #CivicLife #Loneliness
