Hillbilly Elegy

marriage. There were teachers, distant
relatives, and friends.
Remove any of these people from the
equation, and I’m probably screwed.
Other people who have overcome the
odds cite the same sorts of interventions.
Jane Rex runs the transfer students’
office at Appalachian State University.
Like me, she grew up in a working-class
family and was its first member to attend
college. She’s also been married for
nearly forty years and has raised three
successful kids of her own. Ask what
made a difference in her life, and she’ll
tell you about the stable family that
empowered her and gave her a sense of
control over her future. And she’ll tell