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Five Star White Trash: A Memoir of Fraud and Family
An unforgettable journey from seventh-grade dropout to celebrated professor
Georgiann Davis’ family is white, but not the right kind of white. They’re five star white trash. They borrowed money and tried to buy class.
In this upside-down and queer response to JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, Davis introduces readers to the relatives who shaped her turbulent the Greek grandparents who guided her, the father who understood cars better than children, and the brother whose violence went unchecked in their home. Looming over them all was Davis’ larger-than-life mother, who displayed her love through gifts they couldn’t afford, empowering Davis with life lessons even as she downplayed their financial struggles. It took years to uncover the shocking medical secrets that her mother had kept from her —secrets that upended everything she thought she knew about gender and the human body.
Davis guides us through her unusual life, from running the family’s ice cream business to selling weed in her “monkey shit green” Dodge Neon. As she chronicles her journey from seventh-grade dropout to sociology professor, she reveals how whiteness colored her family’s struggles. She connects her personal experiences of medical abuse, fatphobia, and fear of the intersex body with incisive critiques of white supremacy, the opioid crisis, and gendered oppression. Faced with unimaginable setbacks—identity theft, medical struggles, and family turmoil—Davis relentlessly pursued education. It was this quest that transformed her life, giving her the tools to tell her own story. The result is a deeply moving memoir which complicates our understanding of upward mobility and familial love.
Georgiann Davis’ family is white, but not the right kind of white. They’re five star white trash. They borrowed money and tried to buy class.
In this upside-down and queer response to JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, Davis introduces readers to the relatives who shaped her turbulent the Greek grandparents who guided her, the father who understood cars better than children, and the brother whose violence went unchecked in their home. Looming over them all was Davis’ larger-than-life mother, who displayed her love through gifts they couldn’t afford, empowering Davis with life lessons even as she downplayed their financial struggles. It took years to uncover the shocking medical secrets that her mother had kept from her —secrets that upended everything she thought she knew about gender and the human body.
Davis guides us through her unusual life, from running the family’s ice cream business to selling weed in her “monkey shit green” Dodge Neon. As she chronicles her journey from seventh-grade dropout to sociology professor, she reveals how whiteness colored her family’s struggles. She connects her personal experiences of medical abuse, fatphobia, and fear of the intersex body with incisive critiques of white supremacy, the opioid crisis, and gendered oppression. Faced with unimaginable setbacks—identity theft, medical struggles, and family turmoil—Davis relentlessly pursued education. It was this quest that transformed her life, giving her the tools to tell her own story. The result is a deeply moving memoir which complicates our understanding of upward mobility and familial love.
264 pages, Hardcover
Published October 7, 2025
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2178 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 9, 2025
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
This isn’t a book written in chronological order with one event following another; it’s a story told by an engaging narrator in a very conversational and friendly tone. However, the story also jumps around with transitions that, in some parts, feel very abrupt. And really, that’s because it isn’t a story. It’s someone talking about their life, and Georgiann Davis is a very skilled storyteller. With a conversational, light, and thoughtful voice, she talks about her difficult childhood, her problematic mother, and her struggle with weight, relationships, and saying no to her mother’s constant needs, as well as her failed relationships and her eventual successful one to her current partner.
The writing is good. I was able to read this in one day, but I’m going to be honest, this is not a fun book. For all of the comments on a variety of social issues, this is mostly a heartbreaking and uncomfortable look at a terrible mother and how much damage she did to both her children, how one escaped her and one didn’t
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
This isn’t a book written in chronological order with one event following another; it’s a story told by an engaging narrator in a very conversational and friendly tone. However, the story also jumps around with transitions that, in some parts, feel very abrupt. And really, that’s because it isn’t a story. It’s someone talking about their life, and Georgiann Davis is a very skilled storyteller. With a conversational, light, and thoughtful voice, she talks about her difficult childhood, her problematic mother, and her struggle with weight, relationships, and saying no to her mother’s constant needs, as well as her failed relationships and her eventual successful one to her current partner.
The writing is good. I was able to read this in one day, but I’m going to be honest, this is not a fun book. For all of the comments on a variety of social issues, this is mostly a heartbreaking and uncomfortable look at a terrible mother and how much damage she did to both her children, how one escaped her and one didn’t
Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.
May 17, 2025
Book Review: Five Star White Trash: A Memoir of Fraud and Family by Georgiann Davis
A Riveting Exploration of Identity, Family Secrets, and Social Mobility
Georgiann Davis’s Five Star White Trash is a captivating memoir that defies easy categorization, weaving together themes of poverty, fraud, and the complexities of social class in America. Davis recounts her journey from a childhood marked by poverty and familial dysfunction to becoming a celebrated academic, all while navigating the often-blurred lines between truth and deception. The narrative is as much about the author’s personal transformation as it is about the societal constructs that shape our perceptions of identity and belonging.
Key Strengths
-Unflinching Honesty: Davis’s storytelling is raw and unapologetic, pulling no punches as she recounts her family’s struggles and her own.
-Sociological Insight: As a sociologist, Davis brings a critical lens to her experiences, illuminating the broader societal forces at play.
-Narrative Tension: The memoir balances humor and pathos, keeping readers engaged through its unpredictable twists and turns.
Potential Considerations
-Pacing: Some sections may feel slow for readers accustomed to faster-paced narratives, though they add depth to the story.
-Emotional Intensity: The memoir doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, which may be triggering for some readers.
Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Narrative Authenticity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – A story that cuts through the noise, raw and unfiltered.
-Sociological Insight: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Davis’s analysis adds layers to the narrative.
-Emotional Resonance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5) – A memoir that lingers, long after the final page.
-Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Engaging, though some sections could benefit from smoother transitions.
Overall Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A story as tangled as family ties and as liberating as truth.
Ideal Audience
-Readers who enjoy memoirs that blend personal narrative with sociological analysis.
-Fans of unflinching storytelling that tackles complex themes like identity and class.
-Anyone interested in narratives that challenge conventional notions of success and belonging.
Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Georgiann Davis for the advance review copy. Five Star White Trash is a powerful testament to the complexities of identity and the resilience of the human spirit.
Note: Review based on an ARC; minor refinements may appear in the final edition.
A Riveting Exploration of Identity, Family Secrets, and Social Mobility
Georgiann Davis’s Five Star White Trash is a captivating memoir that defies easy categorization, weaving together themes of poverty, fraud, and the complexities of social class in America. Davis recounts her journey from a childhood marked by poverty and familial dysfunction to becoming a celebrated academic, all while navigating the often-blurred lines between truth and deception. The narrative is as much about the author’s personal transformation as it is about the societal constructs that shape our perceptions of identity and belonging.
Key Strengths
-Unflinching Honesty: Davis’s storytelling is raw and unapologetic, pulling no punches as she recounts her family’s struggles and her own.
-Sociological Insight: As a sociologist, Davis brings a critical lens to her experiences, illuminating the broader societal forces at play.
-Narrative Tension: The memoir balances humor and pathos, keeping readers engaged through its unpredictable twists and turns.
Potential Considerations
-Pacing: Some sections may feel slow for readers accustomed to faster-paced narratives, though they add depth to the story.
-Emotional Intensity: The memoir doesn’t shy away from difficult topics, which may be triggering for some readers.
Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Narrative Authenticity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – A story that cuts through the noise, raw and unfiltered.
-Sociological Insight: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Davis’s analysis adds layers to the narrative.
-Emotional Resonance: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨ (4.5/5) – A memoir that lingers, long after the final page.
-Writing Style: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Engaging, though some sections could benefit from smoother transitions.
Overall Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A story as tangled as family ties and as liberating as truth.
Ideal Audience
-Readers who enjoy memoirs that blend personal narrative with sociological analysis.
-Fans of unflinching storytelling that tackles complex themes like identity and class.
-Anyone interested in narratives that challenge conventional notions of success and belonging.
Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Georgiann Davis for the advance review copy. Five Star White Trash is a powerful testament to the complexities of identity and the resilience of the human spirit.
Note: Review based on an ARC; minor refinements may appear in the final edition.
October 27, 2025
thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for the advanced digital copy!
this memoir is available for purchase now.
--
this was harrowing in every sense of the word. it's one of the clearest, most personal examinations i've read of how poverty shapes a person's life on every level - financially, physically, emotionally, socially - and how nearly impossible it is to claw your way out once the system has buried you. georgiann davis writes with sharpness and clarity about what it means to be born into chaos and still choose survival, again and again.
the sections on body image and fatness were especially compelling. davis grew up in the 90s, in the era of snackwells and fat free everything, and writes openly about what it felt like to be a young girl in a larger body, constantly scrutinized. on top of that, the memoir doesn't shy away from the brutal truth of how the medical system handled her intersex identity - from performing surgeries without full consent to hiding key truths about her own body. it's hard to read and impossible to forget.
the hardest part for me was reading about the financial betrayal by her own mother. the author's entire adult life was upended by the discovery that her mom had taken out home loans in her name and defaulted on them. watching her wrestle with the decision of whether to report her mother - knowing it could mean jail - was gutting.
this is the kind of memoir that's compulsively readable but never easy. it's full of pain, but also intelligence, dark humor, and a razor-sharp sociological lens. davis doesn't just tell her story, she lays bare the systems that failed her, and how deeply personal those failures become.
this memoir is available for purchase now.
--
this was harrowing in every sense of the word. it's one of the clearest, most personal examinations i've read of how poverty shapes a person's life on every level - financially, physically, emotionally, socially - and how nearly impossible it is to claw your way out once the system has buried you. georgiann davis writes with sharpness and clarity about what it means to be born into chaos and still choose survival, again and again.
the sections on body image and fatness were especially compelling. davis grew up in the 90s, in the era of snackwells and fat free everything, and writes openly about what it felt like to be a young girl in a larger body, constantly scrutinized. on top of that, the memoir doesn't shy away from the brutal truth of how the medical system handled her intersex identity - from performing surgeries without full consent to hiding key truths about her own body. it's hard to read and impossible to forget.
the hardest part for me was reading about the financial betrayal by her own mother. the author's entire adult life was upended by the discovery that her mom had taken out home loans in her name and defaulted on them. watching her wrestle with the decision of whether to report her mother - knowing it could mean jail - was gutting.
this is the kind of memoir that's compulsively readable but never easy. it's full of pain, but also intelligence, dark humor, and a razor-sharp sociological lens. davis doesn't just tell her story, she lays bare the systems that failed her, and how deeply personal those failures become.
December 16, 2025
It’s hard to review someone else’s life, but I really enjoyed reading Five Star White Trash. Georgiann Davis is so open and honest about her experiences that it almost feels like she’s talking directly to you. You can’t help but root for her through all the chaos, heartbreak, and darkly funny moments.
I couldn’t help but think of JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy while reading, but honestly, this is completely its own story. Davis’s perspective is raw, witty, and sometimes painfully honest, and she doesn’t shy away from talking about fatphobia, medical trauma, gender identity, or the ways whiteness shaped her family’s struggles.
Her life reads like a wild ride. Dropping out in seventh grade, selling weed out of her “monkey shit green” Plymouth Neon, navigating a turbulent family, and somehow making it to professor - her journey is incredible. Some parts hit harder than others, and I didn’t always feel fully connected to every moment, which kept me at three stars, but her courage to share everything is inspiring.
“Her family was white, but not the right kind of white. They were five star white trash.”
If you like memoirs about resilience, identity, and overcoming impossible odds, this is a book worth picking up. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and completely unlike anything else I’ve read.
I couldn’t help but think of JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy while reading, but honestly, this is completely its own story. Davis’s perspective is raw, witty, and sometimes painfully honest, and she doesn’t shy away from talking about fatphobia, medical trauma, gender identity, or the ways whiteness shaped her family’s struggles.
Her life reads like a wild ride. Dropping out in seventh grade, selling weed out of her “monkey shit green” Plymouth Neon, navigating a turbulent family, and somehow making it to professor - her journey is incredible. Some parts hit harder than others, and I didn’t always feel fully connected to every moment, which kept me at three stars, but her courage to share everything is inspiring.
“Her family was white, but not the right kind of white. They were five star white trash.”
If you like memoirs about resilience, identity, and overcoming impossible odds, this is a book worth picking up. It’s funny, heartbreaking, and completely unlike anything else I’ve read.
May 6, 2025
Georgiann Davis delivers a raw and complex memoir that unapologetically confronts class, gender, and identity through the lens of her unconventional upbringing. From a chaotic childhood shaped by a flashy, struggling mother and unchecked family trauma to an adulthood filled with startling medical revelations and academic triumph, Davis weaves personal experience with social critique in a way that’s bold, thoughtful, and politically charged.
While the storytelling is powerful and necessary, at times the narrative feels disjointed, and some transitions between personal memoir and cultural analysis lack cohesion. Still, Davis' voice is undeniably compelling, and her journey—from dropout to professor—is both inspiring and important for readers seeking nuanced takes on identity, poverty, and resilience in America.
While the storytelling is powerful and necessary, at times the narrative feels disjointed, and some transitions between personal memoir and cultural analysis lack cohesion. Still, Davis' voice is undeniably compelling, and her journey—from dropout to professor—is both inspiring and important for readers seeking nuanced takes on identity, poverty, and resilience in America.
October 6, 2025
As a non-binary Midwestern academic from working class white parents, I expected to feel a strong sense of connection with the author's story. I've read a lot of her work about intersex issues, and admire her activism in this area, so I was really looking forward to reading this.
But I didn't. That's okay because it turns out we actually have little in common besides those bare facts. Nonetheless, I still hoped to connect and empathize with her.
The writing style was somehow not affecting despite all the traumatic experiences the author describes. Maybe it's because of the attempt to be academic at the same time as trying to write a memoir. It left me flat.
I hope that other readers connect more with it than I did. There's much here many can learn from, at least.
But I didn't. That's okay because it turns out we actually have little in common besides those bare facts. Nonetheless, I still hoped to connect and empathize with her.
The writing style was somehow not affecting despite all the traumatic experiences the author describes. Maybe it's because of the attempt to be academic at the same time as trying to write a memoir. It left me flat.
I hope that other readers connect more with it than I did. There's much here many can learn from, at least.
July 25, 2025
** I received an advance digital review copy from the publisher, because I am a librarian and librarians are awesome **
It was ok, but the biggest thing that stuck with me was trying to figure out which north shore suburb her ex-husband was from.
I have found I have much more tolerance for middling memoirs than middling fiction; I will typically read the memoir to the end even if I don't find it particularly impressive in style or story, just because it is about Real People and there's nothing so juicy as reading someone else's diary.
I mean, it was fine? It was a thing to read when I wanted to read something?
It was ok, but the biggest thing that stuck with me was trying to figure out which north shore suburb her ex-husband was from.
I have found I have much more tolerance for middling memoirs than middling fiction; I will typically read the memoir to the end even if I don't find it particularly impressive in style or story, just because it is about Real People and there's nothing so juicy as reading someone else's diary.
I mean, it was fine? It was a thing to read when I wanted to read something?
August 14, 2025
I couldn't put down the book Five Star White Trash once I started reading - Davis is such an honest and engaging story teller with so much heart. Despite many odds against them it's a tale of courage and a happy ending that will leave you feeling inspired. A must read !
August 19, 2025
This memoir is one of the best interrogations of whiteness, class and gender. Davis takes us, through incisive commentary, inside jails and hospitals as she tells the gripping story of her childhood.
September 24, 2025
intense and riveting memoir showcasing her struggles and also acknowledging the advantages she had at points. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
October 28, 2025
This book deftly strikes a balance between personal and family narrative and a sharp sociological lens. With honesty and nuance, Davis situates her own story within broader questions of class, identity, and inequality, making for a work that’s as intimate as it is intellectually rigorous. I’d recommend both for personal reading and also would be great to include in a wide range of academic settings.
December 29, 2025
2.5 rounded up. This was fine. The narrative felt slightly all over the place, and while the author tried to put some analysis on her own story, it felt a bit surface level. While I agree that her ability to become a professor after having dropped out in seventh grade was made easier by her being white, I think her partner (now spouse) was a bit harsh in not letting her enjoy her success. (Also - at one point she mentions wearing a shirt about being 'too cool for binary' or something along those lines, but does not ever say that she is nonbinary? So I am using the pronoun she but I could be wrong). I also felt like there wasn't a lot there about her being intersex, something that she could have a lot to say on. As she is more than allowed privacy, I think putting it into a memoir and then not discussing it further felt a bit of an odd choice.
Her family life and relationships are wild though.
Thank you to NYU Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Her family life and relationships are wild though.
Thank you to NYU Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews