Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let's be honest, I read this book for three reasons:
1) I really like the cover and the title. The juxtaposition of the two title words is startling and intriguing.
2) A few of the readers I trust most recommended it.
3) Last but not least, I, like so many, was completely caught off-guard by November's election. All the media I consumed had positively assured me that he who must not be named could never win. Clearly, we all missed something. I knew that reading Vance's book wouldn't be able to fully explain that, but I needed to make an attempt to understand other voices in this country.

Vance's book left me shaking my head in disbelief. It is unthinkable that we live in the richest country in the world, and yet, so many of our people suffer and struggle unnecessarily. Even harder to grasp is how those problems are made worse by personal choices, and then, of course, it's the children that suffer most. Vance offers some theories about why it happens and what can be done, but mostly, this is just his story. He survived a hard childhood and rose above his struggles to attend Yale law among many other successes. And yet, I don't feel a tremendous sense of resolution. His success pales against the vast majority that still struggle with no end in sight.

I am not sure that I am glad that I read this, but it's a good dialogue to join. It seems essential that we all become more aware of what is happening around us. The more informed we are, perhaps the more likely we are to find ways to support those who need it most.

Happy reading--