Your Fellow Americans: Dispatches from Across the Country We Call Home

by Peter Santenello

Join an adventurous and charismatic independent journalist (perhaps you know him from YouTube) on a journey through the very best of America, reminding us of all the reasons we’ve got to love this place and one another.

Have you ever swapped stories on a porch with Amish snowbirds in Florida? Searched for reindeer with the Siberian Yupik in Alaska? Been a guest on a houseboat deep in the Louisiana bayou?

Peter Santenello hadn’t either, until after years spent traveling through eighty-five countries and living abroad, he realized the most unfamiliar territory was often his own American backyard. And so, with a camera in hand and an open mind, he began visiting communities across the country that most media overlooks or misrepresents, from tiny towns in Appalachia to the streets of East LA.

What began as curiosity became—one story at a time—an intimate, revealing portrait of America today. From road trips and chance encounters to dinners shared in locals’ homes, Your Fellow Americans captures what makes this country so dynamic, so resilient, and most of all, so very human. Because what Peter discovered on his travels wasn’t a nation torn in two. He found something more complex and more people who want to be seen, who are willing to listen, and who still believe we’re more alike than we are different.

With humor, exuberance, and reverence for the human spirit, Your Fellow Americans is a celebration of the United States that exists far beyond the headlines—and an invitation to sit down, open up, and rediscover the soul of this place that we call home.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Audiobook

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2026

About the author

Peter Santenello is an independent journalist and filmmaker with over four million subscribers on YouTube. He’s traveled to eighty-five countries and lived in five, building a global audience by letting people tell their stories in their own words. These days, Peter’s lens is focused squarely on the United States, where he explores the diverse, complex, and often misrepresented communities that make up the fabric of America.

Reviews

[Ann Margolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley,Simon and Schuster Publishers and author,Peter Santenello for the opportunity to read the arc ebook,“Your Fellow Americans.” This is a well written nonfiction book by the YouTube video blogger,Peter,which I have enjoyed watching almost weekly for many months.His approach his blogs which are filmed by a video camera,are different from other tv bloggers. He frequently uses a local resident to drive him around and talk about his city’s history,problems,both pro and con,and many other relevant and interesting facts.The book written by Peter contains several different states with their residents telling

experiences, problems,happiness,families,and the reader gets an honest feel about their lives.I had seen a few of the stories that were in the book previously on YouTube so I didn’t wish to read them. Peter is a great writer. You can visualize everything he describes.I gave the book three stars due to all of the past history he brings into his comments, but it often feels like he is overdoing on philosophy about what was said and done at the end of each chapter.I have read many other travel books by Bryson,and others not as well known as Peter, but their information is more straightforward especially in their summaries.

On Sale,August 04,2026

[Alanna Metz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Your Fellow Americans, YouTuber Peter Santenello writes about different places in the US he has travelled to. They aren't the usual places, such as New York. He goes to the more "undocumented" areas such as Appalachia or the Bayou. As someone who is from one of the areas he wrote about, I can say he is very respectful in his depictions. You won't find him looking down upon those he meets or thier lives in any way. Each area seems to give him a new lesson on life and you can feel how much he truly enjoys seeing new things. His writings are a good window into the lesser travelled areas of the States and are extremely interesting.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Dali Castillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

Your Fellow Americans is an extremely informative book. It's not just about the locations Peter Santenello has visited; more importantly, it's about the people and the communities. It gives such wonderful insight into things that one would never even have imagined.

I have watched Peter's YouTube videos for quite some time, so when I saw the book, I knew I had to read it. And the book goes way beyond what I'd seen on the videos, adding more depth with situations and conversations that didn't take place in the videos that come to light. It is a fantastic read, which I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. All comments and opinions are entirely my own and voluntary.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. The author takes a road trip exploring the little know areas all over the US. From the Amish to the foothills of Appalachia and everywhere in between. You get a taste of how life is in the areas he visits. How parents want better for their kids, the working beside the rich. The author gets a bit of history in each place along the way.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy. Well, this one was a mixed bag for me. I appreciate the research he apparently did on the areas he visited, and parts were interesting and even uplifting. I am not familiar with his videos and would probably not be a big fan. Although he tried to be neutral/positive about everywhere he went, there was a lot of repetition.