Gemma Crouse’s Reviews > Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis > Status Update
Gemma Crouse
is on page 228 of 264
We are constantly ready to fight or flee, because there is constant exposure to the bear, whether that bear is an alcoholic dad or an unhinged mom. We become hardwired for conflict. And that wiring remains, even when there no more conflict to be had.
— Oct 19, 2026 12:40AM
Like flag
Gemma’s Previous Updates
Gemma Crouse
is on page 222 of 264
…she stumbled upon an analogy that described me perfectly. I was she said a turtle. Whenever something bad happens-even a hint of disagreement-you withdraw completely. It’s like you have a shell that you hide in.
I had no idea how to deal with relationship problems, so I chose not to deal with them at all.
— Oct 14, 2026 04:19PM
I had no idea how to deal with relationship problems, so I chose not to deal with them at all.
Gemma Crouse
is on page 222 of 264
Chapter 13 is elite. How hard it is to claw your way out of your social standing when the small things which may help you seem a foreign concept. A testament to tapping into the people around you. Asking anyone and everyone for help.
— Oct 14, 2026 04:16PM
Gemma Crouse
is on page 193 of 264
“If you believe that hard work pays off, then you work hard; if you think it’s hard to get ahead even if you try, then why try at all”
— Oct 14, 2026 03:02PM