Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class
Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class
Bone of the Bone: Essays on America by a Daughter of the Working Class
Member Benefits
30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$20.00
$14.00
Couldn't load pickup availability
About the Author
About the Author
Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has reported for The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, The Guardian, and many other publications. Her first book, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a finalist for the National Book Award. Her second book, She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Smarsh is a frequent political commentator and speaker on socioeconomic class. She lives in Kansas.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
A TIME Magazine and Chicago Tribune Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2024
A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2024 "In one searing--and stunning--collection, Bone of the Bone gives the often-ignored people in what some call 'flyover country' their due. [The] intersection of personal and political is where Smarsh's powers of observation and will to incite change thrive. Bone of the Bone is a collection that offers a multitude of gifts on a variety of heavy-hitting levels and is a must-read for today's politics."
--San Francisco Chronicle "Bone of the Bone is a valuable book that addresses significant but neglected political problems... [Smarsh's] writing is characterized by precise analysis and controlled fury."
--Chicago Review of Books "[Smarsh's] writing is both muscular--she writes with such conviction--and anchored in place. Reading someone writing about the state of the grasslands--what is directly outside her window--is such a breath of fresh air."
--Kansas City Star "Smarsh's ability to interweave stories--including aspects of her life--places her in the tradition of working-class journalism exemplified by Studs Terkel, Barbara Ehrenreich and others...The deep empathy that animates Smarsh's prose combines with a rigorous intellect committed to uncovering and explaining structural causes of our current cultural moment."
--Los Angeles Times "A compassionate look at working-class poverty in America...an insightful collection of essays."
--Time - Praise for Heartland "A deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight... A powerful mantra."
--New York Times Book Review "Heartland is [Smarsh's] map of home, drawn with loving hands and tender words."
--Washington Post "Smart, nuanced and atmospheric."
--NPR Books "An observant, affectionate portrait of working-class America that possesses the power to resonate with readers of all classes."
--San Francisco Chronicle "A soul-baring meditation on poverty and class in America... a loving yet unflinching look at the marginalized people who grow America's food, build its houses and airplanes but never seem to share fully in its prosperity."
--New York Post, Best of 2018 "This is a provocative, well-researched book for our times."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Smarsh seamlessly interweaves [her family's] tales with her own experiences and the political happenings of the day to tell a story that feels complete, honest and often poetic."
--Texas Observer "Heartland is an important book for this moment ... Smarsh emerges as a writer, most potently, in her vivid encounters with the ironies of working-class life -- her reflections on what it means to live poor can turn startlingly poetic."
--EntertainmentWeekly.com "Startlingly vivid ... an absorbing, important work in a country that needs to know more about itself."
--Christian Science Monitor "Brave and heart-wrenching, this book gives a voice to a group of people too easy to ignore."
--Columbus Dispatch
Praise for She Come By It Natural "Stirring, insightful... Smarsh anoints Parton a badly needed beacon: in a divided country, she remains that rare someone who everyone can love."
--Time "Sarah Smarsh expertly explores the overlooked social contributions of women."
--CNN.com
A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2024 "In one searing--and stunning--collection, Bone of the Bone gives the often-ignored people in what some call 'flyover country' their due. [The] intersection of personal and political is where Smarsh's powers of observation and will to incite change thrive. Bone of the Bone is a collection that offers a multitude of gifts on a variety of heavy-hitting levels and is a must-read for today's politics."
--San Francisco Chronicle "Bone of the Bone is a valuable book that addresses significant but neglected political problems... [Smarsh's] writing is characterized by precise analysis and controlled fury."
--Chicago Review of Books "[Smarsh's] writing is both muscular--she writes with such conviction--and anchored in place. Reading someone writing about the state of the grasslands--what is directly outside her window--is such a breath of fresh air."
--Kansas City Star "Smarsh's ability to interweave stories--including aspects of her life--places her in the tradition of working-class journalism exemplified by Studs Terkel, Barbara Ehrenreich and others...The deep empathy that animates Smarsh's prose combines with a rigorous intellect committed to uncovering and explaining structural causes of our current cultural moment."
--Los Angeles Times "A compassionate look at working-class poverty in America...an insightful collection of essays."
--Time - Praise for Heartland "A deeply humane memoir that crackles with clarifying insight... A powerful mantra."
--New York Times Book Review "Heartland is [Smarsh's] map of home, drawn with loving hands and tender words."
--Washington Post "Smart, nuanced and atmospheric."
--NPR Books "An observant, affectionate portrait of working-class America that possesses the power to resonate with readers of all classes."
--San Francisco Chronicle "A soul-baring meditation on poverty and class in America... a loving yet unflinching look at the marginalized people who grow America's food, build its houses and airplanes but never seem to share fully in its prosperity."
--New York Post, Best of 2018 "This is a provocative, well-researched book for our times."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Smarsh seamlessly interweaves [her family's] tales with her own experiences and the political happenings of the day to tell a story that feels complete, honest and often poetic."
--Texas Observer "Heartland is an important book for this moment ... Smarsh emerges as a writer, most potently, in her vivid encounters with the ironies of working-class life -- her reflections on what it means to live poor can turn startlingly poetic."
--EntertainmentWeekly.com "Startlingly vivid ... an absorbing, important work in a country that needs to know more about itself."
--Christian Science Monitor "Brave and heart-wrenching, this book gives a voice to a group of people too easy to ignore."
--Columbus Dispatch
Praise for She Come By It Natural "Stirring, insightful... Smarsh anoints Parton a badly needed beacon: in a divided country, she remains that rare someone who everyone can love."
--Time "Sarah Smarsh expertly explores the overlooked social contributions of women."
--CNN.com
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Pub date:
2025-09-09
Length:
352 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.