(5 / 5)A magnificent memoir, the best I’ve read in years. Since its publication in September of 2016 “Hillbilly Elegy” has been in the spotlight for its in depth look into the lives and minds of the poor white of Appalachia and the Midwest. This memoir has been referenced to exhaustion as a tool of understanding why so many from the Rust Belt and Appalachia turned out to vote Trump into office. I’ll admit, that was my primary aim for reading this book. But those looking for straight forward answers about voters backing Trump will be disappointed. This memoir never mentions the name “Donald Trump” nor speaks to voting habits. It does occasionally address conflicted political emotions as times and circumstances in America change-that’s as close as you’ll get to black and white answers. However, careful consumers who read between the lines will not be disappointed.
The book’s author JD Vance is not afraid to meet difficult questions head on, he admits to being confused and angry about welfare and subsidized housing culture among the poor white for much of his adolescent and young adult life-even while living in the midst of it. He offers real answers and first hand insight to a culture relatively unknown and often impenetrable.
I was very interested to read how little this book had to do with race and everything to do with class. Almost everyone he mentions in the memoir is white-poor white. He doesn’t spend much time on how poverty is a race issue, you may need to go elsewhere for a better understanding of that topic. Nevertheless, the memoir is exceptionally done. The beginning didn’t grab me immediately but I was fully invested before hitting the 100 page mark. It’s very readable, well written and articulated.
Writing a memoir is a daring and vulnerable thing. You open yourself up to criticism from every corner merely because of the nature of a book focused on your opinions and perceptions (not to mention personal experiences). But this was as fair minded and honest as I’ve seen for a long time. I would definitely give this book a go.
Violence: Medium Language: High Adult Material: High