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.
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