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Desert of the New: Spiraling into Sanity in the City of Light
Stop running long enough and the demons will catch up. When I moved to Paris I thought I was chasing a the infamously people-centered French lifestyle filled with good food, better wine, and long chats on open terraces. What I didn't realize was that while I was doing the chasing, I was also being chased.
The last time I wrote a memoir, I hadn't even started therapy. It's amazing how much can change and just how quickly. This book starts in the eye of the storm that was my early life in Paris. The brief calm in launching a book and pausing my vlog only gave space for things to get much, much worse.
Whether you're interested in what it's like to be an influencer in a city like Paris, France, to build a business from the ground up, or to simply try and find your place in the insanity of this era, there's something for you here. But this book is really for the lonely ones who fear their dreams will never come true, that the solitude will overwhelm them, and they'll waste their days doomscrolling in the dark. You are not alone, and I shared this story to help you know it in your bones.
I hope it finds you exactly at the right time.
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This is Jay Swanson's second memoir. Where the first focused on how he got to Paris and made it stick, this entry is how making it stick turned out to be the hardest part. Whether building a business as a content creator, battling French bureaucracy in the pursuit of French citizenship, or trying to find love in the most romantic city on earth - nothing came easy.
But at the root of it all, the true destabilizing force, was Swanson himself. Or perhaps, rather, the demons he had yet to face. Through growing friendships, sheer determination, and an undying love for the City of Light, his story is one of raw honesty and vulnerability in a time where most men are told they're better off just sucking it up and staying quiet. This is a book not just for those who dream of making a living as creators, or who are destined for life in a distant land, but for those who need the reminder that the hardest work of all, that which is done upon and for themselves, is that which is most worth it.
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Praise for Desert of the
"Can a city be a lifeline? In Swanson's follow-up memoir, Paris plays such a role- and an always compelling backdrop-as he peels back the layers of his personal and creative journey. An honest and heartfelt look at healing and rebuilding."
Lindsey Tramuta - Journalist, bestselling author and host of The New Paris Podcast
"At first glance, this book may seem like a love letter to Paris, but it unfolds into a heartfelt tribute to 'Home, ' wherever that may be. It inspired me to reflect on my own notions of self, relationships, and life. We often hear that the unexamined life is not worth living; this book feels like a mirror of that sentiment. The examined life is worth celebrating-a journey worth embarking on towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us."
Tamer Kattan - Award winning comedian, writer, & actor
The last time I wrote a memoir, I hadn't even started therapy. It's amazing how much can change and just how quickly. This book starts in the eye of the storm that was my early life in Paris. The brief calm in launching a book and pausing my vlog only gave space for things to get much, much worse.
Whether you're interested in what it's like to be an influencer in a city like Paris, France, to build a business from the ground up, or to simply try and find your place in the insanity of this era, there's something for you here. But this book is really for the lonely ones who fear their dreams will never come true, that the solitude will overwhelm them, and they'll waste their days doomscrolling in the dark. You are not alone, and I shared this story to help you know it in your bones.
I hope it finds you exactly at the right time.
---
This is Jay Swanson's second memoir. Where the first focused on how he got to Paris and made it stick, this entry is how making it stick turned out to be the hardest part. Whether building a business as a content creator, battling French bureaucracy in the pursuit of French citizenship, or trying to find love in the most romantic city on earth - nothing came easy.
But at the root of it all, the true destabilizing force, was Swanson himself. Or perhaps, rather, the demons he had yet to face. Through growing friendships, sheer determination, and an undying love for the City of Light, his story is one of raw honesty and vulnerability in a time where most men are told they're better off just sucking it up and staying quiet. This is a book not just for those who dream of making a living as creators, or who are destined for life in a distant land, but for those who need the reminder that the hardest work of all, that which is done upon and for themselves, is that which is most worth it.
---
Praise for Desert of the
"Can a city be a lifeline? In Swanson's follow-up memoir, Paris plays such a role- and an always compelling backdrop-as he peels back the layers of his personal and creative journey. An honest and heartfelt look at healing and rebuilding."
Lindsey Tramuta - Journalist, bestselling author and host of The New Paris Podcast
"At first glance, this book may seem like a love letter to Paris, but it unfolds into a heartfelt tribute to 'Home, ' wherever that may be. It inspired me to reflect on my own notions of self, relationships, and life. We often hear that the unexamined life is not worth living; this book feels like a mirror of that sentiment. The examined life is worth celebrating-a journey worth embarking on towards a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us."
Tamer Kattan - Award winning comedian, writer, & actor
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 23, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2026
Only just recently started following Jay on socials and YouTube.
I read a lot of memoirs so decided to give this one a go.
Writing is a bit inconsistent at times. Organisation and structure also has problems off/on which often happens with self published works.
Initially I wondered if I was going to be able to even finish this but stuck it out.
Strongest sections were those where he embraced authenticity and stopped trying to be funny or be something he’s not . Enjoyed reading these sections the most for the self introspection and personal growth and self awareness.
May give his other book Sea of the Unknown a read at some point but we shall see.
I read a lot of memoirs so decided to give this one a go.
Writing is a bit inconsistent at times. Organisation and structure also has problems off/on which often happens with self published works.
Initially I wondered if I was going to be able to even finish this but stuck it out.
Strongest sections were those where he embraced authenticity and stopped trying to be funny or be something he’s not . Enjoyed reading these sections the most for the self introspection and personal growth and self awareness.
May give his other book Sea of the Unknown a read at some point but we shall see.
July 15, 2026
I became aware of Jay through his YouTube videos while planning a trip to Paris in 2024 which is to say I know him as Paris influencer first. Some of what he writes about in the "Desert of the New" is his own resistance to being perceived that way, the challenges that come with that role and realizing where he can have a positive impact (through projects like Paris In My Pocket highlighting local Parisian businesses).
However, the book is a memoir and like his first ("Sea of the Unknown") his life covers a lot of territory outside of his work as a YouTuber. Paris is here, but it's a lived in Paris, a Paris where you get your driver's license (remember priority to the right), deal with the challenges of living in an apartment where you have to share a toilet at the end of the hall with an eclectic cast of characters who come and go, and you traverse the halls of French bureaucracy until one day you get to hear them say "Know that you asked France, and she said yes. Remember this as the day that you chose France and, in return, France chose you."
It's also him documenting the painful parts of his life along with the joyful, the projects that succeeded and the ones that failed, along with relationships that hurt and friends that helped. I think like any memoir it's an opportunity to find those points in another person's life you can connect with and learn a bit more about the world through someone else's eyes. The ups and downs of Jay's experiences provide an interesting journey through his life to this point.
For a bit of a smile flip to the About the Author page at the back of the book before reading. There will be more smiles, chuckles and laughs along the way as you read his story from the beginning (even in despair, he often takes a moment to find the odd or amusing in the situation).
However, the book is a memoir and like his first ("Sea of the Unknown") his life covers a lot of territory outside of his work as a YouTuber. Paris is here, but it's a lived in Paris, a Paris where you get your driver's license (remember priority to the right), deal with the challenges of living in an apartment where you have to share a toilet at the end of the hall with an eclectic cast of characters who come and go, and you traverse the halls of French bureaucracy until one day you get to hear them say "Know that you asked France, and she said yes. Remember this as the day that you chose France and, in return, France chose you."
It's also him documenting the painful parts of his life along with the joyful, the projects that succeeded and the ones that failed, along with relationships that hurt and friends that helped. I think like any memoir it's an opportunity to find those points in another person's life you can connect with and learn a bit more about the world through someone else's eyes. The ups and downs of Jay's experiences provide an interesting journey through his life to this point.
For a bit of a smile flip to the About the Author page at the back of the book before reading. There will be more smiles, chuckles and laughs along the way as you read his story from the beginning (even in despair, he often takes a moment to find the odd or amusing in the situation).
July 21, 2026
I think really the book itself is two stars. It pains me to write that because I sped up reading the book before to get to this one. I’ve been a Jay Swanson fan for a few years now dating back to just probably before the pandemic. The book was easy to read, and the chapters were short, which I appreciated and which is why I give it the extra one star. And though I liked reading about Jay’s life, the amount of talk about his mom and kind of the repeated depression and anxiety was painful to read repeatedly. I’m not saying that I didn’t appreciate reading it but when it takes up at least 40% of the book, it’s a really tough read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews