A Short Review of A Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
My dates here are estimates. This book was a tale about the progress made by the generations of poor families, but told in a very personal memior. My own childhood nuclear family was poor, and certain things in his memior struck melancholy minor chords in me. I knew families in some of our neighborhoods who were like this “crazy hillbilly” family. My family, though poor, was from New England, and our history was different.
I like the way the author does not cast blame on society, the government, or the work ethic of the poor as generalities, but shows us a complicated and fair (I thought) picture of class struggle while just using his own family.
I read it straight through, all the boring parts were left out by the author! Recommend for all. Memior writers who have misgivings or reluctance to write about our families, this is a good read for us, as an example of stretching the boundaries.
Like the author, I joined the Marines because there were few other options available to me in the small southern town I grew up in. Semper Fi, J.D.
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