I grew up in NYC. My first job was in Appalachia - the upcountry of South Carolina to be exact. It was a real eye-opener. But those were real people just like the New Yorkers I grew up with were real people. They were different, but they were often decent, hard working, kind hearted. And some were real SOBs, too. People are just people. The culture manifests in different ways but under it all... there are people with aspirations and hopes and dreams, people who eke out a living despite harsh circumstances, people who are prejudiced and people who are cruel and people who will give you the shirt off their back.

I now feel motivated to read the book, The Queen's Gambit. I have the book White Trash but haven't started reading it yet, it's on my summer reading list along with Sapiens by Yuval Harari. Thank you for your article, I really enjoyed it.