If You Can't Quit Cryin', You Can't Come Here No More: A Family's Legacy of Poverty, Crime and Mental Illness in Rural A

There’s another hillbilly elegy. It’s the reality of multi-generational trauma, poverty, and how our society has abandoned millions of Americans to suffer the ravages of a system they don’t control.

On May 12, 2013, 48-year-old Vicky Isaac of rural Puxico, Missouri—a woman with a history of learning disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, and drug addiction— loaded a .22 caliber handgun and shot her violent addict husband while he slept in the trailer they shared with Vicky’s adult son. Or did she? According to police reports, Vicky called 911 and confessed to the crime.



Read more