Hillbilly Elegy

sense of safety and stability at my best. I
was either being chased by the bad
terminator or protected by the good one.
But I had never felt empowered—never
believed that I had the ability and the
responsibility to care for those I loved.
Mamaw could preach about
responsibility and hard work, about
making something of myself and not
making excuses. No pep talk or speech
could show me how it felt to transition
from seeking shelter to providing it. I
had to learn that for myself, and once I
did, there was no going back.
Mamaw’s seventy-second birthday
was in April 2005. Just a couple of
weeks before then, I stood in the waiting