Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As someone who actually grew up in Appalachia and also used the military and the educational benefits from that service as a way out, I started the book with great excitement but quickly grew bored and frustrated. The stories about his family were very interesting but there are so many unexplained situations and factors that contributed to his success. While I also managed to use the military (20yrs) as a stepping stone, thousands of others returned back to Appalachia in far worse condition that when they left. To not even mention the inherent risk associated with military service in this book seemed like an injustice. The chance of another child from Appalachia enlisting in the Marines and only service a tour in a war zone while working affairs Public Affairs is as my grandmother used to say "slim to none, and slim just left town" Not to take away from the authors achievements as they are significant and worth celebrating, the book lacks the detail to serve as a hand up to those back in Appalachia who may benefit from such information.