May

Rising Class: How Three First-Generation College Students Conquored Their First Year by Jennifer Miller, 2023

I was an FLI (First Generation Low Income) student before the term existed. 

College and high school now provide support for these students, but transitioning into college can still be challenging.

There is so much privilege (like being able to afford thousands dollar Canadian Goose coats) that low income students who can not afford any winter coat can get lost.

The students profiled in this book include Briani and Connor of Columbia, and Connor's girlfriend Jacklynn, who plans to live at home and attend Ozarks Technical Community College before transferring to Missouri State University. 

Although each student has compelling stories (Briani's parents own a Mexican restuarant and vote for Trump for his support on small business; yet he actively seeks to reject people like them from the U.S.; Connor's father died from his Opiad addiction while his mother is a recovering addict; Jacklynn's father is an alcoholic who is not in her lfe), the book fails to engage and goes deep.

The reporting on the impact of COVID - during their freshman year - is fascinating, but nothing new that has not been written about in newspapers. I wish the stories had gone deeper or perhaps told in less of a disjointed way where Connor and Jacklynn's story were told together while Briani's story was separate.