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A review by miguelf
Hill Women: Finding Family and a Way Forward in the Appalachian Mountains by Cassie Chambers
3.0
Comparisons to Hillbilly Elegy will be inevitable for this release, and there’s a very similar tale here told of growing up poor in Appalachia but eventually attending elite secondary schools and enjoying later professional success that affords one to have a different lens on their upbringing. In that, it’s an at times engaging first-hand account. Granted, unlike JD Vance, Chambers didn’t appear write this partly as an audition on running as a Republican candidate later in life (or at least position one to do so). But the comparisons are likely apt even if Chambers herself doesn’t choose to run for an elected position and unlike Vance one gets the sense it would be on a Dem ticket. I think books like this reflect the larger trend of the popularity of the personal essay (a la ‘Educated’) and for some people these very personal stories resonate well with them. For others it’s a bit of a chore.