Skip to main content

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Audiobook)

Bookreporter.com Bets On...

About the Author

About the Book

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Audiobook)

written and read by Sarah Smarsh

October 2018

In HEARTLAND: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, Sarah Smarsh traces her Midwestern Kansas family’s roots back four generations. Along the way, she takes readers on a deep dive into a world where everyone worked, often multiple jobs, yet they remained poor. She shares a perspective of life in this world through the eyes of the family for which she has deep feelings. Her writing is frank and leaves readers with lots to ponder, especially at a time when this country is deeply divided. Here, Sarah shares a perspective that is illuminating, especially for those on either coast. I love the voice and tone of her work, as well as the pacing of her narration. I listened to it on audio, and her Midwestern twang contributed to the success of the story for me.

Sarah learned from her family, not just about the power of family, but also the urgency to get an education and establish solid roots. Her family moved so often through the years that is was difficult for many in each generation to complete a school year in one place, and to have a consistent mailing address and the stability that accompanies that. The book is narrated to her unborn child, one who is a fixture of her imagination. She knows that if that child was real, she could have been trapped in the world that snared her mother and grandmother, each of whom became a teenage mother. And she knows that propelling herself out of poverty means “keeping her jeans zipped” and her focus sharp, not being clouded by escapes with drugs and alcohol.

This book took 15 years to write, and along the way, Sarah sought --- and received --- her family’s full cooperation. She tells their stories with love, but never shies away from the tough truths, the hurtful moments or her clear pride in her family’s spirit. When she talks about her grandmother, with whom she lived for many years, there is an appreciation for the world they shared on the farm and on the drives together into Wichita.

I have found myself recommending this book frequently since I finished it. HEARTLAND has been longlisted for the National Book Award --- a very deserving achievement.

Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Audiobook)
written and read by Sarah Smarsh

  • Publication Date: September 18, 2018
  • Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction
  • Audio: pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
  • ISBN-10: 1508267405
  • ISBN-13: 9781508267409