Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke In the Richest Country on Earth

"Whether you’ve loved or hated her newspaper columns filled with diatribes about what she says “liberal elites” get wrong about the white working class, this book is worth a read. Part memoir, part socio-economic analysis, Sarah Smarsh sets her own story and that of her family against the backdrop of the major economic forces that have shaped the Midwest in recent decades. From stories of improvised fun – “sledding” on the flat plains by hitching up to a tractor in the snow – to the devastating impact of sexual abuse and too early pregnancies – Smarsh brings you into her world with equal parts deep compassion and clear eyes. It’s a good read, funny and heartbreaking."