Five Star White Trash

A Memoir of Fraud and Family

by Georgiann Davis

This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.

Buy on Amazon Buy on BN.com Buy on Bookshop.org

*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

Pub Date Oct 07 2025 | Archive Date Oct 15 2025

NYU Press

Biographies & Memoirs | LGBTQIAP+ | Nonfiction (Adult)

Talking about this book? Use #FiveStarWhiteTrash #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!

Description

An unforgettable journey from seventh-grade dropout to celebrated professor

Her family was white, but not the right kind of white. They were five star white trash. They borrowed money and tried to buy class.

In this unflinching response to JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, Georgiann Davis guides us through her extraordinary life, from weighing almost 300 pounds by fifth grade, to dropping out of school in the seventh and on to selling weed out of her “monkey shit green” Plymouth Neon. A tall, fat girl who only wore boy’s clothing, she grew up with a turbulent family outside of Chicago: the larger-than-life mother who looked like Farah Fawcett, the father who understood cars better than children, the brother whose drug use went unchecked, and the Greek grandparents who could only love her from afar. Then there was the shocking medical secret kept from her–one that upended everything she thought she knew about herself, gender, and the human body.

With unflinching candor and dark humor, Davis tells her ‘stranger-than-fiction’ life story in a brave voice that will have readers rooting for her. As Davis chronicles her surprising journey from middle-school dropout to 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 whiteness, the opioid crisis, and gendered and queer oppression. Faced with unimaginable setbacks—identity theft, home eviction, medical trauma, and family betrayal—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.

Advance Praise

“Brave and unflinching... Georgiann’s story is moving and unforgettable, one that can help us understand ourselves, and just maybe, each other.”
~ C.J. Pascoe, author of Nice is Not Enough: Inequality and the Limits of Kindness at American High

“Rarely has a memoir about growing up poor and white looked at the categories ‘poor’ and ‘white’ so incisively. Georgiann Davis gives the reader an intimate account of a life of hardship, but this is not your average story of triumph over adversity. Rather, it is an unflinching but compassionate look at growing up in a family besieged by problems, and the advantages that whiteness confers in an otherwise underprivileged life. With a keen sociological eye, Davis also explores the ways in which seemingly extraordinary experiences – from the medical harm of making fat or intersex bodies socially acceptable to identity theft at the hands of a family member – are the historical outcomes of institutional power.”
~ Grace M. Cho, author of Tastes Like War: A Memoir

“Five Star White Trash is a memoir born of the sociological imagination...a sociology that is uncensored (often crass) but confronting in its honesty about class, gender, and race in America. Davis shows that behind each personal tragedy, trauma and memory is an array of social forces that shape our most personal reflections of who we are and what we can become.”
~ Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, author of Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America’s Largest Criminal Court

“Davis has written a gripping sociological memoir, which explores key contradictions in American family life, including sex and gender, race and privilege, poverty and addiction, commitment and betrayal. It’s also about the making of a sociologist, an origin story for the insight and empathy that represent the best of our discipline. I couldn't put it down.”
~ Philip N. Cohen, author of Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists

“In this conversation-changer, you will discover the fascinating, and at times, truly unbelievable, story of Davis, who went from middle school drop-out to one of the country’s foremost experts on the sociology of intersex experiences. With her life story as a backdrop, Davis expands our understanding of the interplay between social class, health, and race, while telling a story about the enduring ties, challenges, and strength of biological and found family.”
~ Kristina Olson, Professor of Psychology, Princeton University

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781479840397
PRICE	$30.00 (USD)
PAGES	272

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (PDF)

NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)

Download (PDF)

Additional Information

Average rating from 12 members

Featured Reviews

Danielle T, Reviewer

I’m such a fan of gritty memoirs, and this was definitely that. Georgiann’s story of growing up is fascinating and kind of horrifying.
This is the first memoir I’ve read where the author is intersex and I really appreciated how candid Georgiann wrote about her experience.
I find it hard to rate and really give meaningful feedback on someone’s experience in their own words. Objectively I found this very interesting and while I appreciated her raw and blunt storytelling, I found some of the stories really off putting, which is the point, I think, but I don’t always love reading stories that leave me feeling uncomfortable.

Was this review helpful?

Chrystal M, Reviewer

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.

Was this review helpful?

Sarah J, Reviewer

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.

Was this review helpful?

Madison H, Reviewer

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.