Hillbilly Elegy

about us—not just me and my family but
our neighborhood and our town and
everyone from Jackson to Middletown
and beyond. When Mom was arrested a
couple of years earlier, the
neighborhood’s porches and front yards
filled with spectators; there’s no
embarrassment like waving to the
neighbors right after the cops have
carted your mother off. Mom’s exploits
were undoubtedly extreme, but all of us
had seen the show before with different
neighbors. These sorts of things had their
own rhythm. A mild screaming match
might invite a few cracked shutters or
peeking eyes behind the shades. If things
escalated a bit, bedrooms would