Hillbilly Elegy

drove Mamaw’s initial dislike were the
parts of him that most resembled her.
Mamaw apparently understood what
would take me another twenty years to
learn: that social class in America isn’t
just about money. And her desire that her
children do better than she had done
extended past their education and
employment and into the relationships
they formed. When it came to spouses
for her kids and parents for her
grandkids, Mamaw felt, whether she
knew it consciously, that she wasn’t
good enough.
When Bob became my legal father,
Mom changed my name from James
Donald Bowman to James David Hamel.