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Stumbled upon the reference to this book in another thread. Gave it a read. First two thirds of book is mainly about his grandparents and parents. It is kind of wild but not that remarkable to my ears. People making up stuff as they go and doing willful, reckless, harmful stuff. That doesn't surprise and it is not that unique.
The author endured it, then got on his own track. The most interesting part of the book to me is how lucky he was to get a full ride at Yale Law School and how relatively smooth and easy he's had it ever since. That doesn't totally surprise me but it kinda tilts the impact of the book. You can survive stuff, work hard (but not superhuman) AND get what you deserve or be real lucky / fortunate and get a lot more. In spite of and because of different parts of the culture. And the good might not be that much from your family and "your culture". The non-leftist part that most conservatives say to rely on and want left alone from "leftist government". Beside perseverance, it was government programs that helped J.D. Vance more into a different life / position.
He was child and grandchild of former hillbillies and he can identify as one if he wants. But this book wasn't really about first hand Appalachia as much as I thought it would be. Mostly spectator and most of it happened in urban Ohio, the outermost fringe of Appalachia or tales of the distant past. It is a story, perhaps pretty rare, of apparent affirmative action for a working class white guy, aided greatly by the elite liberal establishment. Didn't expect he'd end up in San Francisco, completely removed from Kentucky and "the culture" that he sorta knew and has used to carve out a literary name. But it wasn't as preachy or partisan as I thought it would be either. It is a memoir. Not much more. Ok. Everybody has stories of themselves and / or family. I don't particularly get why this story made the New York Times Best Seller list. But it did, with some push I am not aware of but assume, or because of readers more curious and less similar with this part of the country than I and probably a lot of people here are. Good to have variety / choice. Moving on.
^^^ Good review. I think "Hillbilly Elegy" is an interesting memoir, but some reviewers not very familiar with the area and the culture took Vance's experience to be universal for everyone from this background. It is not.
Other readers and reviewers noted some of the more extreme aspects described in "Hillbilly Elegy" and seem to have a sort of morbid fascination as a result, or to view the book as describing people and experiences completely alien to their own experiences - "peculiar", if you will - without taking into account some contributing factors and post WWII industrial history.
It seemed to me that Vance rather played up some of the melodrama to help differentiate himself as portrayed from his rowdy relatives. He certainly stressed their quick tempers and belief in predestination and seemed frustrated that this belief was often an excuse for not taking action or trying to make a difference.
I am a Kentuckian, but am from Central Kentucky, the pastoral Bluegrass, not Eastern Kentucky. I lived in southern Ohio for three years, a good many years ago.
While there, I experienced occasional prejudice against Kentuckians, regardless of region of origin within Kentucky, and overheard snide remarks about "hillbillies" and bare feet and moonshine. It was frustrating, and often those making such remarks had never been farther into Kentucky than Northern Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Most of those making the rude comments had less education than I did.
I expect Vance and his family, who were actually from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, received more of this and became defensive and perhaps more drawn inward to their family because of it. The outmigration from the mountains to the industrial cities of Ohio and Michigan began after WWII and continued through the 1950s and beyond - no doubt the locals also resented "outsiders" offering competition for employment.
So there are aspects of "Hillbilly Elegy" which were lightly dealt with or not included at all in Vance's book, but which would have influenced his early life as something of an outsider in a culture no longer in its native home, but within another, somewhat alien culture.
If you want some good reading about people and living in eastern Kentucky, look up Jesse Stuart's books. Start with The Thread That Runs So True, his autobiography, about his younger years and being a teacher in a one room school. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Stuart at Murray State University where he taught a creative writing workshop several summers with other poets and authors. He suffered a massive heart attack at Murray State in the 50s, I think, and wrote about his recovery in The Year of My Rebirth. All his fiction were based on his growing up in eastern Ky.
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Originally Posted by kygman
If you want some good reading about people and living in eastern Kentucky, look up Jesse Stuart's books. Start with The Thread That Runs So True, his autobiography, about his younger years and being a teacher in a one room school. I had the honor of meeting Mr. Stuart at Murray State University where he taught a creative writing workshop several summers with other poets and authors. He suffered a massive heart attack at Murray State in the 50s, I think, and wrote about his recovery in The Year of My Rebirth. All his fiction were based on his growing up in eastern Ky.
Thank you for that recommendation. I really love the topic of rural Appalacia. Looking forward to it!
Good review. I think "Hillbilly Elegy" is an interesting memoir,but some reviewers not very familiar with the area and the culture took Vance's experience to be universal for everyone from this background. It is not.
Other readers and reviewers noted some of the more extreme aspects described in "Hillbilly Elegy" and seem to have a sort of morbid fascination as a result, or to view the book as describing people and experiences completely alien to their own experiences - "peculiar", if you will - without taking into account some contributing factors and post WWII industrial history.
It seemed to me that Vance rather played up some of the melodrama to help differentiate himself as portrayed from his rowdy relatives. He certainly stressed their quick tempers and belief in predestination and seemed frustrated that this belief was often an excuse for not taking action or trying to make a difference.
I am a Kentuckian, but am from Central Kentucky, the pastoral Bluegrass, not Eastern Kentucky. I lived in southern Ohio for three years, a good many years ago.
While there, I experienced occasional prejudice against Kentuckians, regardless of region of origin within Kentucky, and overheard snide remarks about "hillbillies" and bare feet and moonshine. It was frustrating, and often those making such remarks had never been farther into Kentucky than Northern Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Most of those making the rude comments had less education than I did.
I expect Vance and his family, who were actually from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, received more of this and became defensive and perhaps more drawn inward to their family because of it. The outmigration from the mountains to the industrial cities of Ohio and Michigan began after WWII and continued through the 1950s and beyond - no doubt the locals also resented "outsiders" offering competition for employment.
So there are aspects of "Hillbilly Elegy" which were lightly dealt with or not included at all in Vance's book, but which would have influenced his early life as something of an outsider in a culture no longer in its native home, but within another, somewhat alien culture.
I agree with your assessment, although I felt Mr. Vance was somewhat smug concerning his escape from Eastern Kentucky and his pursuit of an education. In the end it left a bad taste in my mouth and his critique was equally insulting as those of one family we lived next to in Chicago who referred to our family as "dirty hillbillies".
My mother was born in central Kentucky as well, an area considered to be western Appalachia and my father was born in northwest Tennessee, we had more children than they did so I suppose that was all the ammunition they felt was needed.
Interesting site where many views take place concerning the area.
A Hillbilly Syllabus December 10, 2017 by Eric Kerl
Since the publication of JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, just before the “election” of Donald Trump, the people of Appalachia have been discovered again. Perplexed by the specter of white poverty and apparent backwardness, liberals and progressives turned to Vance’s Elegy to understand Appalachians.
Instead, what they found was a blame-the-victim and culture of poverty narrative that wouldn’t pass the smell test of racism in any other case.
Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th century writers often engaged in yellow journalism focused on sensationalistic aspects of the region's culture, such as moonshining and clan feuding, and often portrayed the region's inhabitants as uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence. Sociological studies in the 1960s and 1970s helped to re-examine and dispel these stereotypes.
I agree with your assessment, although I felt Mr. Vance was somewhat smug concerning his escape from Eastern Kentucky and his pursuit of an education. In the end it left a bad taste in my mouth and his critique was equally insulting as those of one family we lived next to in Chicago who referred to our family as "dirty hillbillies".
My mother was born in central Kentucky as well, an area considered to be western Appalachia and my father was born in northwest Tennessee, we had more children than they did so I suppose that was all the ammunition they felt was needed.
Interesting site where many views take place concerning the area.
A Hillbilly Syllabus December 10, 2017 by Eric Kerl
Since the publication of JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy, just before the “election” of Donald Trump, the people of Appalachia have been discovered again. Perplexed by the specter of white poverty and apparent backwardness, liberals and progressives turned to Vance’s Elegy to understand Appalachians.
Instead, what they found was a blame-the-victim and culture of poverty narrative that wouldn’t pass the smell test of racism in any other case.
Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions regarding the isolation, temperament, and behavior of its inhabitants. Early 20th century writers often engaged in yellow journalism focused on sensationalistic aspects of the region's culture, such as moonshining and clan feuding, and often portrayed the region's inhabitants as uneducated and prone to impulsive acts of violence. Sociological studies in the 1960s and 1970s helped to re-examine and dispel these stereotypes.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Vance comes from the perspective of the over 1 million people who left rural Kentucky after WW2 and resettled in more affluent areas, though they brought much of their baggage and positive elements of their Appalachian culture with them. I related to his book more than any I've ever read because we are about the same age, came from incredibly dysfunctional families, and both have parents from the poorest parts of rural Kentucky but spent our childhoods mostly elsewhere. Usually people from the rich parts of Kentucky are shocked when I tell them of how my parents grew up - one without electricity or indoor plumbing - or how far out of state they moved for work. Much of my family moved to Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, and even Sacramento CA. About half stayed. It's not things the board of tourism likes to advertise but the reality is that once you get a bit south of I-64 or east of Lexington you are leaving the 1st World and entering 3rd World America. Life expectancy declines by 10 to 15 years, rates of obesity, abuse rates of children and animals, and divorce go up exponentially. It's a cycle that's hard to overcome when the smartest and hardest working of your people move elsewhere once they graduate high school. I know many highly educated people from Eastern KY... and not a single one still lives there.
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