Somehow... I can relate. It is unfathomable really, in this deeply personal book looking at white Appalachian population living at and below the poverty line, since I am none of those things. It resonates if only in the absolute contrast of our cultural differences. In other words, this book describes an attitude of living that is the polar opposite to my own, and because of that, I have somehow derive deep revelations about my own upbringing.
"It's not like parents and teachers never mention hard work. Now do they walk around loudly proclaiming that they expect their children to turn out poorly. These attitudes lurk below the surface, less in what people say than in how they act".
I am an expert on expectations that lurk below the surface. Some directly communicated, some through action. How could I not bring home straight A's when my dad, working a full time job, somehow manages to take (and pass) his medical boards? Somethings are understood. Like I should curtail my TV watching when he is studying next room.
I seem to be going through a memoire phase. I love reading them so. They bring a level of immediate self awareness. It's like connecting with someone at a very close and personal level, while learning something bigger about the whole of humanity.
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