I must be hiding under a rock because Bone of the Bone was really my introduction to Sarah Smarsh. It is a very intriguing and informative collection of essays on a variety of subjects mostly revolving around socioeconomic class . It is a mix of observations and lived experience. She is a storyteller as well as a journalist, and her essays are thought provoking regardless of your socioeconomic class or political leanings. I will be recommending this as a good Christmas present for readers who like substance and works that make them think.

I love Sarah Smarsh's work and I will always recommend her audiobooks. This book is a collection of her essays from the past decade or so. Her voice, reportage, and innate lived experiences enrich her journalism. These essays cover class, politics, sociology, bias, and transcending tax brackets.

I love Sarah Smarsh. She consistently writes about representing rural interests and people: everything from cultural commentary to the meaning of “bad teeth” to working as a Hooters girl.

𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝑶𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑬 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉 𝑺𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉 is one of those books that I was anxiously anticipating for months. So much so, I was able to start reading the ARC from @scribnerbooks via @netgalley. When I saw her booktour was coming, I also knew I would go and have the gorgeous physical copy in my hands. (I have also listened to parts of the audiobook.)

If you are unaware of Sarah Smarsh, she wrote the bestselling HEARTLAND, A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth. She also wrote, SHE COME BY IT NATURAL: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs.

This book is a collection of her journalistic essays that have been published in a wide variety of publications, primarily centering on socioeconomic class in America from the perspective of one who has lived it. Starting in 2013 and ending in 2024, it is a bit history lesson and memoir to go back and relive some of these events.

What I read resonated with many of my own experiences growing up on a family farm in Kansas. The monolith that is painted of the rural Midwest has been a source of bullied embarrassment (I wasn't aware I was supposed to be embarrassed until I traveled elsewhere), and simultaneously a feeling of sibling pride (only I can knock on Kansas since I live here, but you are absolutely not allowed.) For the record, I am so grateful to have been raised on a farm, worked fields as young as I can remember, and had to quit drinking milk when we had to go to "store" milk as our milking source had retired. I also know it is a much more nuanced place than most concede.

The class system is absolutely alive and well in the US, but I have not the eloquence to state this with such gifted and honed words as Smarsh. I appreciated so much the honoring and lifting up of the humanity of so many who are ignored. I see this class system heavily applied to the care of our elders with my care home visits, and it can be tough some days.

I highly recommend this book, especially for those who feel like there is something missing in our discourse.

Sarah Smarsh’s Bone of the Bone is an essential collection of essays that explores the complexities of class, politics, and rural life in America with a thoughtful and nuanced perspective. Smarsh’s writing is powerful, grounded in her own experiences growing up in Kansas, and she has a rare ability to bridge the gap between personal storytelling and larger social issues. Her insights into the struggles of working-class Americans are deeply resonant, and this collection compels readers to reconsider assumptions about rural America.

This collection of essays by Smarsh looks at working class life over the past decade. Most of these essays have been published previously, but they are gathered here to remind readers' of the differences among socioeconomic lines in America. I thought that most of the essays still felt so relevant today, especially the ones published from 2016 on (as many deal with not categorizing rural America into one homogenous red political area). The first few weren't as good for me, but then once we really got into it, I just wanted to read more because Smarsh's writing is so good. The points she makes are so important too. Definitely recommend!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A collection of essays published over a wide swath of years by Sarah Smarsh. I do enjoy the author's work and have from time to time picked up an essay collection and realized that something about the collection takes away from the power of the individual essays. I got that vibe here. Several of these essays I had read before and several were quite old, not completely dated, but you could feel the years. Great essayist, but the collection wasn't as impressive.

The quality of the writing was excellent, as expected, but many of the essays challenged me to consider my assumptions, and I thought about them long after closing the book. I'm sure I read a few of these in their original form, but it was quite enjoyable to have them all gathered in one place, and I really appreciated the added footnotes giving updates.

Thank you to Netgalley and Scribner for an advance digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. 5 STARS ALL AROUND!!

I truly believe Sarah Smarsh is one of the best writers and commentators of our generation. It had been a while since I'd read much of her work, but I absolutely loved her debut memoir, Heartland, and this collection of her work since was just as amazing. My copy is filled with highlights and I will immediately go out and buy a physical copy to keep on my nightstand. She speaks to today's social ills, rural America, and our divided country so eloquently without further alienating the marginalized or those who might disagree with her. I have so much respect for her approach, writing talent, and mind. This was a GREAT read going into election season and will become an annual reread for me for sure.

Sarah Smarsh needs to be more widely read than she is. This collection of essays is one of the most timely collections, as each piece presciently supports the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz campaigns. Anyone with questions about who Trump supporters are and who people in the Midwest are supporting must read this book as soon as it comes out. Then, find everything else Smarsh has written and follow her for future writings.

I was a big fan of Heartland, so I was pre-disposed towards liking this collection of essays. As a former Kansan, it resonates with me and I love how she is able to share her experiences with the reader. I feel sure that any reader will find something in this book to enjoy and think about.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It should be required reading!

Interesting collection of essays. Unfortunately, I have read many of them since I am a fan of Smarsh. I do enjoy her outlook, and stories about growing up poor in rural Kansas. Curious to read more of her current life.

A compelling collection of previously published essays (but for the gripping last one which is new) by one of America’s foremost chroniclers of American class ans political divides. Given the possibility of a Trump 2.0 presidency, Smarsh’s decade of thoughtful essays reminds us how we got here, and breaks apart the many myths the media attaches to her home state of Kansas and the people she grew up with and raised by. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-arc

Bone of the Bone is a collection of essays and articles written by Sarah Smarsh over the years, reflecting her perspective growing up in rural poverty in Kansas. Also a white woman who is close in age and grew up in Kansas there are things Smarsh speaks to that I very much relate to and that resonate deeply with me, and others such as being poor and growing up in a rural community that I cannot. I appreciate her effort to educate people not of her background that not everyone of her background can be neatly categorized into a well-established stereotype. And drawing attention to the fact that because most people don’t bother to learn about the roots, ideals and aspirations of these people, overlooking the stereotype seems a waste of energy. While I can’t speak to the disadvantages of being poor or from the country, I have without a doubt, been subject to the dismissive statement of being from flyover country, and assumed to be a conservative Republican because of where I live and the color of my skin. Smarsh’s emphasis on the lack of understanding for the audience she writes about should not be dismissed, but it also was a clear reminder to me when reading this collection of the danger of any stereotype and how undermining it can be to someone assigned to it. The collection proceeds in chronological order of when articles or essays were published with various media outlets. This provides continuity for the reader in general news events, i.e. political elections, the COVID pandemic, etc. but does mean that some of the same stories and points get reiterated multiple times and start feeling repetitive. As a result, some of my favorite essays are ones that originate from the same place but look at things in a different way. The most poignant part of the book for me was without a doubt when Smarsh ponders the position of being somewhere or someone no one else has been and how lonely it could be, while realizing that being there came from being in a spot where you never likely fit in either and experienced a different type of loneliness. Because of the nature of this book, it can feel like the subject matter is addressed ad nauseam. But it also serves as a reminder that it needs to be and more people need to see it for any positive change to take place. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sarah Smarsh explores poverty in America, and she also explores the space where journalism and memoir meet. Much of the time she is a journalist, writing profiles of people who struggle to find work, health care, housing, education. She uses her personal experiences of growing up midwestern poor to help others understand how this can happen in America. Those personal experiences take center stage in several of the essays, which take a memoir-ish turn, when she writes about her parents and grandparents, all working class people. All of the essays were originally published in various periodicals, and all of them still have resonance today. Great writing! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

Wow. Sarah Smarsh always knocks the wind out of me. As another girl from Kansas who went to the same college and has wrestled with the same questions, I find her voice so important and crucial. She really has some all-timers in here, my favorite of which is the line about how we all know we don’t need education to know the difference between right and wrong or how to be decent. This collection is another gift from her.