I read/appreciate all criticisms of “Hillbilly Elegy,” but this paragraph, in particular, is spot on. When gas was 89 cents, we rolled up with $1.78, sorted by coin. https://twitter.com/williams_paige/status/1331650696920358925

The reaction to this tweet has reminded me that we really need better portrayals of poverty, which means we need more journalists and screenwriters who've been poor, who render people in specifics, rather than stereotypes.

Years ago, Curve Magazine once did a story about me. The journalist wrote that I grew up in a home where there often wasn't food in the fridge. I never said that. The reporter just assumed poor meant food-less.

I was petrified my mom would find the article. She carried a calculator through the grocery, and she weighed everything, working the math to ensure our fridge was full.