The day I graduated from boot camp was the proudest of my life. An entire crew of hillbillies showed up for my graduation — - JD Vance

At a pivotal time in my life, Barack Obama gave me hope that a boy who grew up like me could still achieve the most important of my dreams. For that, I'll miss him, and the example he set.

I’m not saying ability doesn’t matter. It certainly helps. But there’s something powerful about realizing that you’ve undersold yourself — that somehow your mind confused lack of effort for inability. This is why, whenever people ask me what I’d most like to change about the white working class, I say, “The feeling that our choices don’t matter.

Our high school ranked near the bottom of Ohio’s schools, but that had little to do with the staff and much to do with the students.