At the insistence of one of my friends, and the promise of a film adaptation, I finally decided to give J.D. Vance’s memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, a chance. It was quite a thought-provoking and somewhat somber read. While he grew up in Ohio like me, there was a lot that I couldn’t relate to personally, but there were many things he described that I’ve at least witnessed in my lifetime.
Vance recounts his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, along with his family’s life growing up in Breathitt County, Kentucky. Back in the day when his Mamaw and Papaw were young, a lot of people from that region in Kentucky moved to Middletown for a better life. And while life was improved, it was still poverty stricken. Middletown is part of Appalachia, which is a very poor cultural region that stretches quite a long way from Ohio all the way down to Georgia.
The problem that many of these people face, Vance and his family and neighbors included, is that these once these towns with somewhat affluent businesses shut down, families are stuck because of a lack of income, and being unable to afford to move. The jobs were also very manual and difficult, but “hillbilly culture” taught most people to be resilient and tough. That is not the case for everyone, and certainly not for the newer generation. Vance described one man who was proud to be unemployed, even though he had about a dozen malnourished children. Another man he described quit his job solely because he was “tired of getting up early.” Almost a sense of entitlement, but most of the people in this area never reap a reward for their lack of effort.
Drugs were also a large part of the problem, which Vance had to deal with in his mother. She also provided a sense of instability for most of his and his sister’s life. A rotating cascade of men that she would eventually tire of, along with many relapses with hard drugs that landed her in and out of rehab made Vance untrustworthy and defensive. Before he was even a teenager, he watched his mother get arrested. The only stable, but still somewhat hostile support he had was provided by his grandparents.
Despite their violent and gruff tendencies, Vance’s description of his grandparents reminded me of my own. They were always there for him and were willing to give their lives for him. I really enjoyed reading about that part of his childhood. Aside from his mother, most of the rest of his family was equally as supportive. They all shared an abusive base of life growing up, but their loyalties to one another were unbreakable.
Vance also overcame the odds of growing up in poverty by joining the military, attending Ohio State University, and then graduating from Yale Law School. He still tries to repress the violent urges he acquired growing up, but he still loves where he grew up and sees the potential in his own family. He knows there is a lot that needs changed in his and his grandparents’ hometowns, but he knows it’s a double-edged sword of the people and politics.
This book was published right around the 2016 election, and it shed some light on why the people of Appalachia would support someone like Trump. The working class in Appalachia get generally screwed. As Vance worked as a cashier growing up, he would see people on welfare talking on brand new cell phones, while he himself couldn’t afford one. This is an example of why these people would support the Republican party, who seem to fight for the working class. All in all, this book was really eye-opening and interesting. I imagine if you’re from the area or interested in Appalachia and it’s impact, this book would be a great first-count perspective on the culture. I would very much recommend you spend some time reading this memoir.