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Sheldon H.'s avatar

“My book might not be the one to get elites to truly pay attention to what has happened to kids and families in this country. But my hope is that it will help to pave the way for the more worthy and talented author who writes the book that will.”

Saw this on one of your recent “X” tweets, and it filled me with hope.

I read half of Troubled on a an annual trip to DC recently where I was discussing the effects of banking legislation and regulations with industry leaders and legislators. It helped me frame a lot of the perspectives I had in “luxury beliefs”.

It’s a great book and I’ve enjoyed it so far. I can relate to a lot of it from my own life experiences. Unfortunately, I inadvertently left it on the return flight home.

That means someone now has a free copy of it, and I will also be reordering it to finish it.

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Lost In Alabama's avatar

Rob, I have learned so much from your newsletter in these past months after accidentally discovering it on Substack. I am a paid subscriber and am currently reading your book. Like you, I did not get into politics until 2015. I get most of my news from Substack augmented with Apple News and the mostly biased now al.com (formerly The Birmingham Newspaper). I rarely watch the news unless there is a government hearing I’m interested in.

I love your writing because it says so beautifully what I believe and feel. I identify with so many of your experiences at 46 years old. I’m definitely snagging the book you mentioned about believing in the Devil but not God.

Maybe it’s a sort of midlife crisis, but maybe it’s more of a midlife awakening for me. At 45, my life took an unexpected turn or an inevitable one. I’m not sure yet. I guess I found your writing at the right time. I have always been a voracious reader and think that this is what saved me from falling into the cult of Trump here in Alabama.

I wanted to be a writer as a young adult. I dreamt of studying at Oxford in middle school, which is not very common in rural Alabama. I have to thank my parents for this dream, because they always encouraged my love of reading. Unfortunately, they didn’t believe that being a writer was a good financial decision. My parents steered me toward medical school instead. I ended up a pharmacist, but it is not my first love. Whether or not I write in the future, I am very grateful for yours!

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