Jane's Reviews > Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth

Heartland is a decent, thoughtful book that is very depressing to read. Sarah Smarsh remembers every sad and terrible thing that ever happened to her and wants to make sure we know about them too. Her messages on poverty in America and growing up poor are valid, as are her observations about the disconnect between those who understand how farms work and those who don't, but this is not an easy book. I had to take frequent breaks to read something else. 

Smarsh frames her memoir around her conversations with the child she didn't have as a teenager, and that really did not work for me. I found the nonexistent child narrative device jarring (especially when listening to the audio). Other readers may find it effective. 

I found the timeline very hard to follow, as the author jumps around in time. I also had a hard time keeping all the family members straight, especially the various men her mother/aunts/grandmothers etc. were involved with or married to. A family tree or at least a list of family members would have helped a lot. 

Heartland reminded me of The Growing Season by Sarah Frey. I enjoyed reading The Growing Season more.