Hill Women is a terrific read. I read it in one sitting. Chambers showcases her matrilineal roots in eastern Kentucky where most people still live in abject poverty. Her parents succeeded in obtaining educations and Chambers attended prestigious schools for her degrees. I enjoyed reading about her family roots and history. I was appalled at her stories concerning ridiculous court fees that impoverished people can't pay, but other people are also drowning in ridiculous fees at every layer of society. Appalachian women like in Chambers family have grit and determination, which are traits to be admired. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance read.

Definitely a female version of Hillbilly Elegy but maybe with more facts and passion. I absolutely loved the authors description of poverty in the hills of Kentucky. She expertly shares the natural beauty and passion behind the sadness and struggles of the area It is a sad fact that so many Americans have to suffer in the ways she describes her family and upbringing. Hopeful that her book and life works will bring about some change. A must read for all who don’t understand what it is like to be poor in America.

Wow, this book absolutely incredible. Cassie Chambers delivers such a powerful and moving story about the women of hills in the Appalachian area where she grew up in Kentucky. She tells the story about the women in her life that helped shape it; her mother, Granny, and Aunt Ruth. All of their struggles, triumphs, love, and compassion for family and everything and everyone around them. I love how education was so important to Cassie and her mother. That Cassie wanted more of a life out of the hills and the struggle to keep the balance between them. I love how she gives a voice to those who live in small communities in the mountains and how they view themselves. The struggle for people there to find work and to make ends meet, but also a fear of the outside world. I think what Cassie is doing as a lawyer is very inspiring. Helping those women and children to find better lives and give them the support they really need during that time. I highly recommend this book when it comes out Jan 7, 2020!

4.5 stars

I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Cassie Chambers, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This non-fiction book excited me from the minute that I read the synopsis. I felt like I knew or was related to many of the people in the book - they could be MY people too. Although the book is primarily set in Appalachia, my paternal side comes from the Ozarks with the same issues facing the author's friends and family. The BIG difference is that my ENTIRE family left the Ozarks and moved to California during the Dust Bowl. Without that impetus, I might be living in Arkansas in the Ozarks today.

Anyway, back to THIS book. Cassie Chambers has a REAL way of writing. It is raw and elegant but still inviting. Her style greatly reminds me of Michelle Obama's style in her book BECOMING. Personally, I would love to share a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with this author. She sounds interesting, fun, and true.

Please read this book. These women of the hills are the foundation that our country was built upon. They are the United States. Highly recommend!!

A fascinating read about growing up in the Appalachian hills where hard work, family and extreme poverty are the way of life. The author leaves her family and friends to pursue an education only to be drawn back to what she knows and carries in her heart. Hill Women takes readers into a part of the U.S. where the lives and culture is somewhat unknown and misunderstood.

Cassie Chambers found a way to pursue her dreams of education outside Kentucky. She attended Yale and Harvard and for awhile, living a life very different from what she left. However, with her degrees and law experience in hand, she returned to the mountains to do what she could to help better the lives of the low-income women who lived there. Throughout the book Chambers writes about the women she counsels and fights for in court, but she also describes the three strong women in her own life and how much they influenced her--aunt Ruth, her Granny and her mother.

Hill Women is an inspirational memoir about family values, perseverance, and hope, reminding readers of what is possible in life.

Cassie Wilson’s memoir was less than compelling until the author got to the part about her Legal Aid advocacy for poor women in Kentucky, when the book filled with fire and passion. I liked the parts about the tough women in her family, and she touches on social issues in Appalachia, but I feel the book tried to cover too much. It was sweet, and I am full of admiration for the author for coming home and pitching in instead of dissing the place from afar, which is the easy way out. If the whole memoir were as exciting as the lone lawyer in the backwoods, meeting underprivileged clients at Dairy Queen with a printer in the back seat of her car, I would love it, but despite my sympathy for the subject matter, I found a lot of it pretty dull.

Born and raised in the Eastern Kentucky Appalachian Mountains, Cassie is surrounded by strong women. She has a loving family who support her in her quest to get an education and make something of herself. The journey shows the reader what it is like to live in poverty and dream of better things. The topics include addictions, the lack of medical care in low income areas, lack of employment opportunities and so much more. Each topic is handled in a thorough and informative way that simply explains how tough times were and are.
She works her way into life as an educated, strong woman herself. She returns to Kentucky with her Yale law degree and directs her focus on low income women who cannot afford lawyers to fight for them. She gives them hope and a way out in many cases.

The book is so well done that you simply cannot put it down. I highly recommend it. It deserves a 5 Star rating.
I would like to thank Random House, Ballantine Books and Net Galley for allowing me to read this Advanced Reader copy.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was an incredible and thoroughly enjoyable read! I couldn't put it down. The women the author describes in the book reminded me SO much of my own grandmother and aunt, who were also "hill women" from eastern Tennessee.

A follow up to someone learning and reading more about the Appalachian reading following Hillbilly Elegy.

A heartfelt and heartbreaking memoir, Hill Women is a love letter to the various women who have influenced the author's life. Exploring the effects that poverty has on a family and a nation, this novel celebrates the way that "unconventional" knowledge can often be an amazing source of wisdom. Broaching topics such as the opioid crisis, poverty, and domestic violence, Hill Women shows that - in the face of a system stacked against them - women are the ones who will lead their children and communities into a better future.

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A wonderful profile of strong,determined women.Cassie Chambers the author comes from a small town in the Appalachian mountains.This book blows open the typical poverty stricken story that is written about Appalachia.From being poor to Harvard...follow her on this remarkable journey.
Thankyou Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC

What a beautiful homage to some fierce, hardworking, and amazing women! From the moment I started reading Cassie Chambers memoir of her and her family who lived in small town in the Appalachian Mountains I was 100% captivated. Hill Women is an inspiring novel particularly focusing on Cassie’s female family members and their resilience and determination to move every generation further than the one before. I was blown away by the fact that although most aren’t formally educated, the “hill women” have such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to hard work, community, and family. Their progressive thinking was so inspiring! I’ve read many novels both fictional and non-fiction that paint small Appalachian towns as completely destitute and although Cassie’s family struggled with poverty and lack of recourses the fact that her mother graduated from college and Cassie herself, attended Wellesley and graduated from Yale and Harvard Law School speaks volumes for these remarkable women! I devoured every page of this 5 star read and I also learned a lot about civil law! I highly recommend everyone check out Hill Women!!

Cassie Chambers a child of Appalachia a Harvard educated lawyer has written a beautiful ode to the the strong women of her family. Her mother ,aunt ,grandmother her mother first in the family to go to college her Grandmother and aunt who worked from dawn to dusk spirited strong women who never complained who had a joy for life&family. A wonderful read a book filled with the love se has for these women who all helped to raise her teach her to work hard become a successful adult.#netgalley#randomhouse

Chambers recounts her childhood in one of Kentucky (and the country’s) poorest regions. Her life is shaped by her grandmother, a child bride who bore seven children and her aunt Wilma, while her mother worked hard to finish both high school and college. Chambers own journey through college and ultimately Harvard Law School was made possible by the strong and determined women who raised her. A remarkable memoir for fans of Educated and Half Broke Horses