Reviews

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh

kskristy's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

As someone who shares many similarities with the author’s upbringing, but little of her adult perspectives, this book challenged me. I enjoyed the familial anecdotes and the rich descriptions of the Kansas childhood that stirred in me waves of nostalgia and brought a knowing smile to my face more than a time or two. The author deftly interwove her lived experiences with an examination of class, poverty and policy in America. I don’t wholly agree with her views of on the role of government and the American dream, but I appreciate her research, reporting, her voice, and her story. It made me think—and remember—in the best way, and, for that, I give this book a 5-star rating. 

eklsolo's review

emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

juliette_readsgood's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

kshatto18's review against another edition

3.0

Not bad, but certainly not as good as the reviews have hyped. Other reviewers have commented on the strange structure of the book, a letter written to a child that would never be born. I agree with their assessment that it was odd and jarring.
I think I would have enjoyed this more if the author didn't spend half the book moralizing on how and why poverty exists in America and instead kept this a strict memoir. The memoir/essay was annoying. While I found myself agreeing with a few of her assessments, her general castigation of the government as the problem of all her family's ills was tiresome. Though, I come to these opinions from the belief that the government is neither the source of all society's ills nor the source of society's salvation. I don't resonate with opinions where the purpose of government is to provide everything a society should need.
As a memoir, it was strong and interesting. As an essay, it lacked backing evidence that wasn't anecdotal.
Read for a book club. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have finished it.

sonya1968's review against another edition

5.0

The book Hillbilly Elegy could have been. I think Sarah Smarsh does a better job putting her family's poverty in context of the greater economy and changes in the sociocultural landscape.

malikasbooks's review against another edition

5.0

An intimate portrait of a part of the US I rarely see portrayed. The best part was the writing style - beautiful prose, yes, but the author writes as if telling her story to her unborn daughter. She speaks to her daughter with a protective and empathetic love that I felt wrapped up in, too.

esknight89's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

greatheights's review against another edition

2.0

I really wanted to love this book, but I finally had to let go of this one without finishing it. It's beautifully written--Smarsh has a way with words and can craft an eloquent sentence. But when it comes to narrative, the book goes no where. Perhaps it's because I grew up near and aware of the rural poor she's describing--maybe the book is more engaging for folks that are experiencing an eye opening account of a world they didn't know existed. But for me, it became a tedious read.

cj5300's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

chrisreadsinmhk's review against another edition

2.0

There are probably people who didn't grow up poor in rural Kansas who think this book is great. But I did grow up in Kansas and I did grow up poor and I just dont have the time for this romanticized view of it. The choice to write the whole thing as a letter to the baby she didn't have that let her get out of poverty and the authors tone reading the book (I listened to the audiobook) really did not work for me.