Hillbilly Elegy

monogamy and tried to convert other
people, even my seventh-grade science
teacher, who was Muslim.
The world lurched toward moral
corruption—slouching toward
Gomorrah. The Rapture was coming, we
thought. Apocalyptic imagery filled the
weekly sermons and the Left Behind
books (one of the best-selling fiction
series of all time, which I devoured).
Folks would discuss whether the
Antichrist was already alive and, if so,
which world leader it might be.
Someone told me that he expected I’d
marry a very pretty girl if the Lord
hadn’t come by the time I reached
marrying age. The End Times were the