Hillbilly Elegy

support, it’s hardly surprising that her
marriage soon ended. But Gail’s life had
grown considerably more complex: She
hadn’t just lost her family, she’d gained
a young daughter who depended entirely
on her. “It completely changed my life—
being a mom was my identity. I might
have been a hippie, but now I had rules
—no drugs, no alcohol, nothing that was
going to lead to social services taking
my baby away.”
So here’s Gail: teenage single mom,
no family, little support. A lot of people
would wilt in those circumstances, but
the hillbilly took over. “Dad wasn’t
really around,” Gail remembered, “and
hadn’t been in years, and I obviously