There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century

Rather than feeling powerless, everyone can improve the infrastructure of society. In a democracy, citizens have the power to affect systemic change. Average people can make a big difference by calling out inequities, reflecting on and resolving to change bias, and offering a helping hand when possible. While the UK doesn’t have the same racial barriers as the US, Hill suggests that both countries could benefit from a less rigid social hierarchy.

In the US in particular, the education system must be reformed to make room for more diverse voices and ensure the success of all. Affluent white Americans should push back on the idea of more competition. For instance, one of Hill’s friends started a science club for a high-needs school, free for kids, and supported by private donations—an admirable idea, but one that should get public funding like similar programs in the UK. Since networking is of great importance to future success, and people who live in poverty have less social capital, Hill makes a case for school exchange programs. There is room for everyone to contribute: Philanthropists can offer financial support, senior citizens and those with free time can volunteer, companies can offer internships for school kids, schools can partner with each other to give students different experiences and possibilities. All these actions open doors to communication, understanding, and growth.

Hill endorses “transformative placemaking” (337), which allows states and localities to address regional issues with federal support. Hill believes that there should be no wrong place to live. In a more inclusive society that offers access to opportunities for all people, polarization would give way to understanding. The government has a vital role to play in easing mobility—for instance, by offering funding for relocation to prevent geographic immobility. The US also needs healthcare reform: Even though this field is a reliable source of employment, the industry is riddled with problems, such as lack of access and rising costs. Co-ops could be community solutions to financial and social improvement.

Right now, areas that are struggling look to the presidency to change their day-to-day lives, but regardless of who is in power, things more or less stay the same, increasing frustration. However, a new domestic initiative modeled on the Marshall Plan, a US program to bolster the economies of European countries after WWII, would give communities the agency they need to improve the lives of average Americans, creating larger positive change.

Hill recaps her main point: the need to make mobility more feasible by opening the door to more opportunities through educational reform that ensures quality education and equips students with the skills needed to weather rapidly changing technological and economic circumstances. Hill addresses J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy and Tara Westover’s Educated, both of which tell remarkable stories of talented children from poor backgrounds triumphing over extraordinary obstacles. Hill wants readers to see Vance and Westover’s lives as exceptions rather than blueprints to follow—just as she sees herself.

Hill ends the book by stressing that helping others is not just nice but necessary—it’s imperative to address the needs of people forgotten and locked out due to race, class, geography, and gender, before populism overwhelms democracy.

In her Afterword, Hill offers a guide for specific actions different groups of people can take to improve their communities. Whether someone is a CEO or a college student, she suggests getting involved and extending a hand wherever possible.