Hillbilly Elegy: A Review

J.D. Vance is no stranger to writing. As a regular contributor to the National Review he covers political and legal issues all the time. Personal stories are a tougher task though. For someone to explore their own memories like a cave diver looking for treasure is too much in most cases. Especially with Vance who had a nearly impossible childhood to escape from. By escape I don’t mean run away with a bag and a greyhound ticket hoping to disappear for a few years. I mean to elevate above nasty situations, addictive behaviors, negative mindsets, and statistical disadvantages.

I won’t retell the story here because it isn’t mine to share and because the author does it so beautifully. I’m a sucker for a happy ending and although J.D. is younger than me (a few years) his short life to this point is already much improved. Writing a story about one’s past takes courage because lies won’t work. The passion has to be real and the punches must land.

 The result is a genuine American story from a writer who lets us look into his past and forces us to understand hillbilly culture through his experiences.

At the heart of this book is the story of a fighter who keeps getting up when life hits him again and again. There isn’t a bell and a belt at the end of it; it keeps going because life doesn’t care if you need to catch a breath. Sadly too many kids like J.D. live transient lives where mom’s boyfriends’ come and go and the fighting between drunken adults gets interrupted by police sirens and knocks at the door. Many have called 911 after a sibling overdosed on drugs or were left to find food when a parent disappeared for days.

This book has two parts. The first explains the authors’ hillbilly culture in America and the history of migration from the first Scots-Irish in Appalachia before the Civil War. It’s a very brief history though and serves as a marker more than anything, a place in time to hang this tale. The second is a where-do-we-go-from-here exploration of struggling families and some of the myths surrounding the ‘help’ that governments offer.

Many of the programs offered to rural folks, like food stamps, keep shady characters from finding work. Hillbillies have clever ways of getting around work and responsibility. Most of us know that government programs like food stamps and housing credits contribute more to keeping struggling folks in poverty than helping to escape, maybe not everyone does know.

Still, this author doesn’t have an ax to grind toward family or government. If anything this story is refreshing for its honesty toward difficult circumstances and encouraging for its optimism. Despite the trials and harsh conditions shinning lights emerge from the clouds of his life, if only briefly. One doesn’t sense any animus from the author, only gratitude. Gratitude for his grandmother and older sister who protect him from an abusive and out of control mother struggling to beat addiction. His shotgun carrying foul-mouthed “Mamaw” is one such light he is eternally grateful for. Her influence takes on an outsized role in his life, something he freely admits now.  

The most important part of the story is the contrast between attitudes of working poor and attitudes of wealthy about money. This isn’t a financial self-help or a Dave Ramsey type strategy for getting out of debt. It is a guidebook of poverty. Poverty is the difference. Poverty drives the story like a rented sedan careening recklessly down the road without a care and without a map. Poverty explains why many addictive behaviors and poor relationships affect generations trying to escape it. Poverty makes us think and act differently than middle class people.

I don’t think J.D. uses the term poverty but it fits like a worn out t-shirt. He gives it away when talking about his girlfriend’s family and the outlook they have on life. He is surprised to find out they don’t throw dishes and cuss at each other when upset. They plan for expenses and education by saving and working toward goals. His Marine drill instructors make sure he gets a decent loan at the bank for a car and make sure he pays his bills.  

His thinking changes and the book feels like an attempt to let everyone know that they can too. Don’t let the title fool you. It is only sad when realizing the plight of hillbillies across America is a recurring problem. No easy fix exists and only God can save a damaged soul, not to mention a damaged community. I was happy to see the author’s renewed interest in Christianity after leaving the confused hackneyed version of his youth. He explains in detail in the book. I won’t spoil too many anecdotes but this one is worth a read. At just over 200 pages it is a breeze.