Hillbilly Elegy

extended thoughts on what was wrong
with the world in some and few-
sentence streams of consciousness in
others. Most of all, Mamaw wanted to
know how my days were going and
reassure me. Recruiters told families
that what most of us needed were words
of encouragement, and Mamaw
delivered that in spades. As I struggled
with screaming drill instructors and
physical fitness routines that pushed my
out-of-shape body to its limits, I read
every day that Mamaw was proud of me,
that she loved me, and that she knew I
wouldn’t give up. Thanks to either my
wisdom or inherited hoarder tendencies,
I managed to keep nearly every one of