kathyk reviewed on
Helpful Score: 5
The story of a conservative "hillbilly" (his words not mine) who graduated from Yale Law after growing up in Appalachia and the Rust Belt. He was the son of an absent father and a single mom addicted to drugs and men. He was mostly raised by grandparents that pushed him to do better, get a good education and provided the only stability in his life. He studies why he is the only one from his community to graduate from an ivy league school . Although I don't agree with all his conclusions, he makes a compelling comparison of the lives of urban minorities with the lives of the white working class of Appalachia and the Rust Belt.. Factory towns full of addiction, teenage pregnancies and hopelessness. Factories pulling up and leaving to go overseas. The story of America. Good read. I recommend it.
