Overall I think this hit the mark for a memoir written by a White person on their White guilt and difficult upbringing. McMillan seemed to have put forth her most genuine effort to be introspective and thorough. I did not feel the subtitle was accurate, however, and I struggled with how what I read aligned with my expectations. It was not about five families, it was about McMillian's personal story and her family and she drew parallels to the stories of other families. It is actually kind of wild to suggest what is very clearly a memoir is about five different families. Based on the "cash value" part of the subtitle, I was also expecting a bit more economics than the book offered. Although McMillan did offer connecting research, I was expecting a more detailed  economic analysis and focus.