Fot what it's worth, I assumed the OP was a woman even before she stated it (just going by her writing style) and also belief that she is an American.
I'd agree that there is a large varierty within Islam and that any religion contains both beauty and dangers depending on how you live it.
However, what struck me the most and what has been touched upon very little in this thread is something completely different. The OP's urgent and intense need for external rules, guidance, discipline, etc. does not seem healthy to me. While I am an atheist myself I do understand the value of religion, I really do. But I think that the OP's reasons for considering a change of religion are not very well thought out. They seem to have an emotional/psychological rather than a theological basis.
Wouldn't it be dishonest towards your fellow muslims to join them merely because you like the idea of covering your head?! Because you like to feel modest and maybe feel awkward about your body (speculating here)? Simply because you want some external force to give you a framework to live in? That sounds like a bad reason to join any religion.
There are good reasons to become a muslim or join any religion. But like others have said, those are theological reasons. If you feel that the Quran really speaks to you and you truely believe that Jesus was not the son of god and that Mohamed was the last of the prophets, then you might be ready, not before that.
Pleaes don't get this the wrong way, but you seem to know very little about Islam (you haven't even read the Quran!!! oh, and you'd have to learn Arabic too because most consider that only the Arabic original of the book is the true word of god and that translations are just crutches), not really have researched other communities within your current religion and base this whole thing on your emotional frustration with specific your current community and your emotional vulnerabilty rather than on calm thinking.
You even stated that you'd die if you don't join a disciplined strict community to give you something to hold on to. That sounds like you might be highly unstable emotionally. That is what has me worried.
I'm sure becoming a muslim might be a great choice for some people in some situations, but you do not sound like that is what you truely need right now. Get your personal stuff sorted out first (maybe with the help of a professional) and only when you feel like a strong, healthy, confident woman again and after fully informing yourself about all your options and being ready to make an informed decision THEN can you truely become a good muslim and live that faith - not out of fear of the world or yourself or in orderto escape your issues but because you truely believe in the pillars of that religion and want to follow it with all your heart.
Anything else would just be dishonest towards yourself and others.