Heartland

A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

By: Sarah Smarsh

Narrated by: Sarah Smarsh

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Finalist for the National Book Award and the Kirkus Prize

Instant New York Times best seller

Named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Post, Buzzfeed (nonfiction), Shelf Awareness (nonfiction), Bustle, and Publishers Weekly (nonfiction).

An essential audiobook for our times: an eye-opening memoir of working-class poverty in America that will deepen our understanding of the ways in which class shapes our country.

Sarah Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side, and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. Through her experiences growing up on a farm 30 miles west of Wichita, we are given a unique and essential look into the lives of poor and working class Americans living in the heartland.

During Sarah’s turbulent childhood in Kansas in the 1980s and 1990s, she enjoyed the freedom of a country childhood, but observed the painful challenges of the poverty around her; untreated medical conditions for lack of insurance or consistent care, unsafe job conditions, abusive relationships, and limited resources and information that would provide for the upward mobility that is the American Dream. By telling the story of her life and the lives of the people she loves with clarity and precision but without judgement, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country.

A beautifully written memoir that combines personal narrative with powerful analysis and cultural commentary, Heartland examines the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.

“A deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight, Heartland is one of a growing number of important works - including Matthew Desmond’s Evicted and Amy Goldstein’s Janesville - that together merit their own section in nonfiction aisles across the country: America’s postindustrial decline...Smarsh shows how the false promise of the ‘American dream’ was used to subjugate the poor. It’s a powerful mantra” (The New York Times Book Review)

©2018 Sarah Smarsh (P)2018 Simon & Schuster

Changes your perspective

This is one of the most profound books I have ever “read.” It made me think, deeply, about myself, about my views, about my judgements, about my stereotypes, and most importantly, about others, specifically those who live in the fly over states. I hope it has changed me, or has started a process of changes, towards more humility, kindness, and tolerance. Time will tell. I bought Heartland in hard copy form, as a reminder of my experience while listening to it. Hoping that helps.

Poetic and Historical Narrative

This was a poetic interweaving of family narrative and historical-political culture that thoughtfully tells a story of poverty is that familiar yet unknown. Smarsh is a brilliant writer who writes artfully and honestly. Everyone will be better for having read this book because of its authenticity, honesty, and compelling insight into life, work, struggle, and family.

Powerful & Eloquent. Much needed perspective!

I liked the unvarnished perspective of the Author and a voice for the reality of the socioeconomic class of our society.

I have never written a review before, this book so deeply resonated with me, that I want to share what a great read it is.

Understanding the Poor, WoWorking class, white girl - from rural America

In my opinion, everyone should read this book. But, this is especially true for anyone who has gone from rural America - to the city, in order to become college educated. Sarah Smarsh eloquently, yet realistically recounts the plight of the poor, working class, white - girl from rural America.

Further, the impacts of poverty on rural America are written about in a down-to-earth style. The imagery depicts the depth of social and economic struggles experienced among the working-class poor; a group often ignored in social scientific work.

For example, Sarah Smarsh explains the phenomena of “moving frequently” among rural, poor women in an illuminating way ....“we had moved 61 times by high school.”

Likewise, the author explains ‘the art of getting married’ among poor women, while simultaneously illuminating how poor children adapt by learning to distinguish a home (internal sense of security - permanent) versus a house (structure - temporary).

And finally, Smarsh was spot on in her observations and descriptions of the chronic health issues plaguing the poor. Of particular accuracy, was the prevalence of back/feet problems among poor women. I literally laughed out-loud at the relatableness - even the names seemed similar!

There was another major part of Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland story that I truly enjoyed - the part about “I’m a professor now.”

Here, two compelling scenes include one in which the author describes driving down a dirt road, during weekends returning home from college. And the other impressionable scene had to do with the intense experience the author goes through in coming to understand what being in a new class means after completing college. In my opinion, anyone who has experienced this profound transformation, will feel a sense of unity and comradeship in hearing this story.

I highly recommend this book and thank the author for “telling it like it is!”
Rachael Smith

Poor in America? You still have value.

Loved it because it is a variation on the common story of life as a poor American

My favorite memoir of 2018

I've read a massive amount of nonfiction this year, including memoir, and this is my favorite memoir of 2018.

Unlike many memoirs, there is some political and cultural context here. Also, unlike many memoirs, this is not just the author's story but the story of both sides of her family (going back a couple of generations), the story of a place, a time, class, the politics of the time, farming, etc. So it doesn't suffer from the self-absorption that memoir can. In fact, she leaves so much out of her own story that there are a few lines near the end of the book that are so strange and jarring that I felt like Smarsh had probably written about that particular subject, edited it out of the story, and all that remained were these few lines as an accidental artifact. There are another few lines she tosses in that were kind of shock because it completely changed the way I thought about her and they weren't mentioned till the end. I Googled after reading the book to see if there was anything else by her on audio and--another shock--she's very pretty, but that's pretty much left out of the book and it's that would have informed the story a little more, i.e., her two biggest desires: Not be a teenage mom and to get an education. While I pretty much understood from how Smarsh wrote the story that breaking a generational pattern of teenage motherhood would be difficult, I have to imagine it was even more for a very pretty teenager.

Don't let the "you" she occasionally addresses put you off. While it is threaded through the book, it fades as the book goes on. It was a sort of interesting literary device and she claims that it's true--she really did speak to that "you" so go with it!

If you don't read a zillion books a year and are choosing between popular ones this year (like Educated), choose this one. The writing is far better and the fact that this isn't a story of a childhood that populated by violent, mentally ill religious nuts, a childhood that most people can't imagine like in Educated, but in the end is so much more interesting says a lot about Smarsh's skill as a writer.

Unique perspective

Ms. Smarsh has a unique background and perspective through which to observe big events in our nation. She tells her story with passion, compassion and generosity. Her personal story is a window into many other stories.

Expand your perspective

Written so beautifully and I feel like I grew up with Sara on her journey. Yet, my eyes were opened in so many ways to the plight of the poor in the middle United States.

Thought provoking and inspiring

This book should be required reading for high school students in their U.S. history classes.

Just Plain Beautiful

Sarah Smarsh’s courageous narrative of her life, heritage, and country is tender and true. I feel grateful to have listened to the story of this beautiful soul.