Hillbilly Elegy

what needs to be done to help a kid like
Brian? Are we tough enough to build a
church that forces kids like me to engage
with the world rather than withdraw
from it? Are we tough enough to look
ourselves in the mirror and admit that
our conduct harms our children?
Public policy can help, but there is
no government that can fix these
problems for us.
Recall how my cousin Mike sold his
mother’s house—a property that had
been in our family for over a century—
because he couldn’t trust his own
neighbors not to ransack it. Mamaw
refused to purchase bicycles for her
grandchildren because they kept