What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings

In college, Morgan met “wealthy people” for the first time. A group of girls who went to private school in Chattanooga and Memphis befriended her, charmed by her jokes and southern accent. Morgan was baffled by their talk of exotic vacations and the differentiation between “new money” and “old money.” Morgan had always thought of her family as “well-off”—they owned land, a business, and two vehicles. However, when she went to her roommate Lara’s grandparents’ home, she was shocked to see a freezer full of shrimp, which Morgan considered a luxury.

Morgan rushed sororities with all the other girls in her dorm and was chosen by Phi Mu, a house filled with the most beautiful girls. She was “flattered” to be chosen, but struggled to see the point of it all, and quit after the first week.

Morgan also struggled with the newly discovered gulf between urban and rural people. Many people at college, including some of her professors, mocked Morgan because of her accent and her grammar. Her new city friends laughed if she mispronounced words, but they were drawn to her authenticity and still wanted to be her friend.

After she broke up with Evan, she was a broke college dropout sleeping on her friend’s couch.