A review by clairealex
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance

dark hopeful fast-paced

3.0

I will always wonder how differently I might have felt about the book had I read it in 2016. Now it is colored by some comments about cat ladies and Haitians. The first half reads more quickly than the second; negative anecdotes are more entertaining, unfortunately. The family stories remind me of my grandfather's stories where he always won every fight and got away with every prank. Selectivity at work. I wonder to what extent negative anecdotes are selected to enhance the later success. I'm not saying they didn't happen. And there are occasional glimpses of positive moments, seeming to increase as the book progresses. 

I came to the book after reading a critique that it reinforced stereotypes. And it it does reinforce some. There is the tough gun toting or fist fighting defense of honor; there is the welfare queen. While he gives examples of the latter from experience, not family lore, one wonders if it is the phenomenon of remembering the incidents that support one's ideas, for we have learned that statistics don't support the welfare queen image of all food stamp recipients. (In fact he admits his Mamaw doesn't.) On the other hand, his telling of the culture shock of changing from working class to upper and middle class rings true as do his comments about the limits of foster care and the effects of stress on mental health. And though he refers often to "hillbillies" as he discusses poverty (and occasionally throws in "rust belt") he seems to lose sight of common experiences of other white working class folk. He does give occasional statistics and quotations, but often gives only the author's name, and footnotes are rare.

 His attitudes to people on food stamps and other assistance accord with the claims in Stolen Pride, about the "pride paradox," that Appalachian folk live by a work ethic of hard work producing the American Dream, thus one is responsible for one's successes and failures in spite of external circumstances. While Vance does acknowledge forces beyond people's control, he calls it whining to note them, further reinforcing the individualism rather than breaking out of it.. 

While Vance is quite proud of his accomplishments, he acknowledges the help he got along the way from Mamaw, teachers, Usha, and others. So there is some limit to his individualism. He gives thoughtful comment on where government can and can't help. I hope he remembers that there are areas where it can.




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