Hillbilly Elegy

me through a publication process that
initially scared the hell out of me. She
has the heart of a hillbilly and the mind
of a poet, and I’m honored to call her a
friend.
Besides Tina, the person who
deserves the most credit for this book’s
existence is Amy Chua, my Yale
contracts professor, who convinced me
that both my life and the conclusions I
drew from it were worth putting down
on paper. She has the wisdom of a
respected academic and the confident
delivery of a Tiger Mother, and there
were many times that I needed (and
benefitted) from both.
The entire team at Harper deserves