In a period defined by division—political, cultural and especially socio-economic—Sarah Smarsh’s Heartland has become required reading for anyone seeking insight into the realities of American poverty. In the book, stories from Smarsh’s own life as a 5th-generation member of a Kansas wheat farming family are contextualized by incisive sociological analysis, combining to convey the growing divide between the working class in the United States and the American dream. A National Book Award finalist and an instant New York Times bestseller, Heartland has received praise for its poetic prose, precise observations, and powerful message, from sources as diverse as The American Conservative and Mother Jones. Smarsh will be joined in conversation by Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich.

Preorder your copy of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth through the CHF box office and save 20%.

This program is presented in partnership with the Chicago Tribune.

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