Cassie Chambers

Appalachia's problems - opioids, poverty, lack of jobs, lack of education - are vast, complex, and well-documented. But what Cassie Chambers sees in the mountains where she grew up is, yes, hardship, but also determination, grit, a love for family, and a commitment to hard work. Especially focusing on three generations of women in her family, she writes about her journey in Appalachia, going to college at Yale and Harvard, and back again to work as a lawyer, primarily for poor women trying show more to leave abusive situations.

Chambers' love for the people and place of eastern Kentucky really shines through in this memoir of her family. In addition to her own story, she talks a lot about her mother, Wilma; her aunt, Ruth; and her Granny. Each woman had a slightly different experience. Reading these experiences adds to the narrative of Appalachia and gives perhaps a more nuanced and complex look at the difficulties of the poverty and opioid abuse that have plagued that area of the country. Chambers' story is one of hope while still grappling with challenges. show less

In this memoir, Cassie Chambers describes the lives of the maternal side of her family in the hills of eastern Kentucky from the 1950's to the present. Despite the poverty and lack of resources, there is no lack of resourcefulness and strength in the women she describes. Her maternal grandmother was married and mother at 17 to a man twelve years her senior. Her spinster Aunt Ruth keeps the family farm going when her parents become to old to raise tobacco and farm. Her mother, Wilma, the show more youngest in the family is the first to finish high school and goes onto attend college in Berea, where she meets Cassie's father, a teaching assistant. They marry and have Cassie in her first year of college, yet Wilma manages to finish her degree while raising Cassie.

Inspired by the example of these strong women, Cassie attends a unique preparatory high school in New Mexico and from there attends Ivy League schools and eventually earns her law degree. At the time of writing the book, she is back in Kentucky, working to help women have equal access to the courts in family law
issues.

This book is an encouraging counterpoint to the existential pessimism put forth in J. D. Vance's book about a community in Kentucky just two counties over from the Owsley County.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers Program, but this review is not influenced by that fact. show less

I received this book from LTER. Generally, I liked this book. But I did find the first half more compelling than the second. I loved the descriptions of the generations of family members growing up in Appalachia. The author was fortunate that her parents valued education as much as they did. For her to get from the hollow to the Ivy League was an impressive accomplishment. And she ultimately chose to go back and make a difference, when she could have became a high paid big city corporate show more lawyer. Unlike other reviewers, I had no issue with her bringing politics into the book. To ignore it would have seemed odd. It’s part of who she is and it’s a big part of why Kentucky is the way it is. Why criticize an author writing a memoir for including her passion for assisting the underdog and recognizing how much politics impact their lives? The book definitely reminding me of Educated, by Tara Westover and also The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls. I felt the second half of the book was a bit choppy and not well written. show less

Cassie Chambers is a strong woman from a long line of strong Appalachian women. Hill Women is at once her memoir as well an exploration of the social strengths and challenges of life in Appalachia. Having been brought up there and also having been educated in law at Harvard, Chambers has a unique lens through which to conduct this exploration. She focuses a great deal on the females' role in this society. She reflects back on the past, but also addresses modern issues such as the opioid show more crisis.

I truly enjoyed the author's writing style. I felt as though I were sitting across the table from her, sharing a pot of coffee and a piece of pie as we got to know one another. I live not too far from her home county. Our church supports a mission nearby. I have met some fine educators who work to improve literacy rates in the area. Chambers' work puts faces and personalities to the statistics with which we have become too familiar. I am left to ponder what next, what now; how to honor, how to help.

I am grateful to have received a copy of Hill Women from Ballantine Books an imprint of Random House via LibraryThing in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review, and received no monetary compensation. show less