Heartland [eBook - NC Digital Library] : A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

An essential read for our times: an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country. "Heartland is a welcome interruption in the national silence that hangs over the lives of the poor and a repudiation of the culture of shame that swamps people who deserve better." - Elizabeth Catte, The Washington PostSarah Smarsh was born a fifth-generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up on a farm thirty miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working-class Americans living in the heartland. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves with clarity and precision but without judgement, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country. “A deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight, Heartland is one of a growing number of important works — including Matthew Desmond’s Evicted and Amy Goldstein’s Janesville — that together merit their own section in nonfiction aisles across the country: America’s postindustrial decline...Smarsh shows how the false promise of the ‘American dream’ was used to subjugate the poor. It’s a powerful mantra.” - The New York Times Book Review.A beautifully written memoir that combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, Heartland examines the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less. *Finalist for the National Book Award* *Finalist for the Kirkus Prize* *Instant New York Times Bestseller* * Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, New York Post , BuzzFeed , Shelf Awareness , Bustle , and Publishers Weekly * An essential read for our times: an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country and "a deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight".* Sarah Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up on a farm thirty miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland. During Sarah's turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, she enjoyed the freedom of a country childhood, but observed the painful challenges of the poverty around her; untreated medical conditions for lack of insurance or consistent care, unsafe job conditions, abusive relationships, and limited resources and information that would provide for the upward mobility that is the American Dream. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves with clarity and precision but without judgement, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country. Beautifully written, in a distinctive voice, Heartland combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, challenging the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less. " Heartland is one of a growing number of important works—including Matthew Desmond's Evicted and Amy Goldstein's Janesville —that together merit their own section in nonfiction aisles across the country: America's postindustrial decline...Smarsh shows how the false promise of the 'American dream' was used to subjugate the poor. It's a powerful mantra" *( The New York Times Book Review) . *Finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize* *Instant New York Times Bestseller* *Named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Post, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness, Bustle, and Publishers Weekly* An essential read for our times: an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country.Sarah Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up on a farm thirty miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland. During Sarah's turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, she enjoyed the freedom of a country childhood, but observed the painful challenges of the poverty around her; untreated medical conditions for lack of insurance or consistent care, unsafe job conditions, abusive relationships, and limited resources and information that would provide for the upward mobility that is the American Dream. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves with clarity and precision but without judgement, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country. A beautifully written memoir that combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, Heartland examines the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less. "A deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight, Heartland is one of a growing number of important works—including Matthew Desmond's Evicted and Amy Goldstein's Janesville—that together merit their own section in nonfiction aisles across the country: America's postindustrial decline...Smarsh shows how the false promise of the 'American dream' was used to subjugate the poor. It's a powerful mantra" (The New York Times Book Review) During Sarah Smarsh's Turbulent Childhood In Kansas In The 1980s And 1990s, The Country's Changing Economic Policies Solidified Her Family's Place Among The Working Poor. By Telling The Story Of Her Life And The Lives Of The People She Loves, Smarsh Challenges Us To Examine The Class Divide In Our Country And The Myths About People Thought To Be Less Because They Earn Less. Her Personal History Affirms The Corrosive Impact Intergenerational Poverty Can Have On Individuals, Families, And Communities, And She Explores This Idea As Lived Experience, Metaphor, And Level Of Consciousness. Born A Fifth-generation Kansas Wheat Farmer On Her Paternal Side And The Product Of Generations Of Teen Mothers On Her Maternal Side, Smarsh Grew Up In A Family Of Laborers Trapped In A Cycle Of Poverty. Whether Working The Wheat Harvest, Helping On Her Dad's Construction Sites, Or Visiting Her Grandma's Courthouse Job, She Learned About Hard Work. She Also Absorbed Painful Lessons About Economic Inequality. Through Her Experience Growing Up As The Child Of A Dissatisfied Teenage Mother--and Being Raised Predominantly By Her Grandmother On A Farm Thirty Miles West Of Wichita--she Gives Us A Unique, Essential Look Into The Lives Of Poor And Working-class Americans Living In The Middle Of Our Country. Combining Memoir With Powerful Analysis And Cultural Commentary, Heartland Is An Uncompromising Look At Class, Identity, And The Particular Perils Of Having Less In A Country Known For Its Excess. --dust Jacket. Dear August -- A Penny In A Purse -- The Body Of A Poor Girl -- A Stretch Of Gravel With Wheat On Either Side -- The Shame A Country Could Assign -- A House That Needs Shingles -- A Working-class Woman -- The Place I Was From. Sarah Smarsh. An eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in the American Midwest. During Sarah Smarsh's turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country's changing economic policies solidified her family's place among the working poor. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country and examine the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less. Her personal history affirms the corrosive impact intergenerational poverty can have on individuals, families, and communities, and she explores this idea as lived experience, metaphor, and level of consciousness. Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up as the daughter of a dissatisfied young mother and raised predominantly by her grandmother on a farm thirty miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland. Combining memoir with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, Heartland is an uncompromising look at class, identity, and the particular perils of having less in a country known for its excess. "Sarah Smarsh--tough-minded and rough-hewn--draws us into the real lives of her family, barely making it out there on the American plains. There's not a false note. Smarsh, as a writer, is Authentic with a capital A ... This is just what the world needs to hear" (George Hodgman, author of Bettyville) During Smarsh's turbulent childhood in Kansas in the '80s and '90s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country's changing economic policies solidified her family's place among the working poor. Her personal history affirms the corrosive impact intergenerational poverty can have on individuals, families, and communities. Combining memoir with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, this is an uncompromising look at class, identity, and the particular perils of having less in a country known for its excess