Reviews
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh
invisiblejulie's review against another edition
1.0
If I could give this book 0 stars I would. I have nothing nice to say about it.
andipants's review against another edition
4.0
There were some things I didn't love about this book. The nonlinear structure was a bit hard to follow at times, and a family tree would have been helpful, as I several times found myself struggling to remember exact family relationships -- lots of "Wait, was that her aunt or sister?"-type moments (which I totally get, my family's that way too -- but it was often confusing). I also didn't love the device of addressing the narrative to the author's non-existent child, though it didn't bother me nearly as much as it did some people here, apparently. I see what she was going for, comparing what might have been to how things actually went, but it did feel a little gimmicky.
What I did love, though, was the actual content of the book. It's a loving but unsentimental view of the place she came from, presenting the childhood joys of hayrides and sledding alongside her family's struggles with domestic violence, addiction, and family instability. A lot of people seem to be comparing it to Hillbilly Elegy, which I think is an apt comparison, but I'd say this book is the stronger of the two, because along with telling her own family story, Smarsh connects it to the political and economic trends and the larger social context that have impacted rural poverty and the people living in it since the mid-20th century. It's part memoir, part family history, and part sociological analysis, and ends up being a clear-eyed indictment of the American dream, even as the author herself seems an embodiment of it. Definitely a worthwhile read.
What I did love, though, was the actual content of the book. It's a loving but unsentimental view of the place she came from, presenting the childhood joys of hayrides and sledding alongside her family's struggles with domestic violence, addiction, and family instability. A lot of people seem to be comparing it to Hillbilly Elegy, which I think is an apt comparison, but I'd say this book is the stronger of the two, because along with telling her own family story, Smarsh connects it to the political and economic trends and the larger social context that have impacted rural poverty and the people living in it since the mid-20th century. It's part memoir, part family history, and part sociological analysis, and ends up being a clear-eyed indictment of the American dream, even as the author herself seems an embodiment of it. Definitely a worthwhile read.
blankcrayon's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting insight into white, working-class farming life. However, I found the concept of writing the book to her unborn poor child to be distracting, off-putting, and strange.
thekaylie's review against another edition
3.25
a little too disorganized for my liking, i would get confused as to where we were in time and how events related to one another.
rogerjpatterson's review against another edition
5.0
Smarsh's memoir is another in a genre that needs attention, drawing attention to the lives and difficulties of middle America. Smarsh's experience is particularly enlightening as it spans several lifestyles, from the poor rural lifestyle of much of her family, through her somewhat more urban experience in Topeka, and touching on her later experience as a successful journalist. She eloquently captures the ambiguity of "escaping" her earlier life. She writes as though speaking to the child she chose not to conceive so that the child would not perpetuate the cycle of poverty that it is reinforced by young motherhood, and so that Smarsh could break the cycle. The trope first seemed somewhat contrived, but in the end was a powerful way to highlight the costs of breaking the cycle.
milanaaaah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
A compassionate look at the trauma and cycles of poverty in rural America
shelbynik's review against another edition
4.0
As someone who is a first generation college graduate, this book really hit home. I have some highly questionable relatives and it seemed like all of the stars aligned when I was able to make it out of lower middle class myself. I don't necessarily identify with everything the author has been through. But a lot of what she speaks to is truth. I will never say that my life has been more difficult than someone of the same economic background and a different race than me, but as a white person in the lower middle class still trying to claw my way out, it's really a weird place to be.
kellyroberson's review against another edition
5.0
A really insightful book that hit me in all the feels.
rejectsherlock's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0