The Effects of Poverty

The memoir presents an argument that poverty can have positive and negative effects on the life of an individual. Bobi Conn, the author and narrator of this book, was born into a poverty-stricken family in a rural area of Kentucky, and their extreme poverty affected every aspect of her life for years to come. The poverty drove Bobi and others to do illegal acts and prompted drug and alcohol use, but ultimately also pushed Bobi to excel at school to escape that cycle.

As a child, Bobi had very little in the way of material possessions but she noted that the family occasionally made ridiculous purchases that could not be justified, considering their financial situation. For example, there were many photographs when she was a child, and she felt they probably spent a lot of money on the film and developing the pictures. She and...