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October Reading Life-Hillbilly Elegy Book Review


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While my reading life has slowed down some in the past month with the business of home and school, I am still really enjoying the process of selecting books and listening/reading with a purpose. I am learning so much about myself and about different cultures, and ideologies with some of the books I have read this year. That journey continues with my most recent selection, Hillbilly Elegy.

Hillbilly Elegy was written by J.D. Vance whose family originally hailed from rural Kentucky coal country before moving to Middletown, Ohio. He mixes the stories of his youth with an argument that affixes the blame of the poor “hillbillies” on themselves. He claimed that it was largely “learned helplessness” that has led to the plight of many poor working whites, who have taken advantage of the welfare system and feel that no matter what they do, they cannot improve their condition in life (Vance). When I first started reading the book, I was taken aback by the premise that we should be taking a closer look at the white working class, considering the current climate of race relations in this country. Mr. Vance seemingly has every privilege we have in American society: white, Christian, white-collar worker. However, when he describes his background, it is clear that he had to struggle in parts of his life and attended Yale law school despite the odds against him.

I was struck by his grit and unwillingness to make excuses for himself. Although, I do think he could show a little more empathy toward people born into a cycle of poverty and abuse and the role that good mentor plays in helping people break that cycle.

In 2016 The New York Times ran a book review Hillbilly Elegy, in which they took some fault with Vance’s idea that the victim is only to blame and not the structures put in place by the government. However, they did applaud him for tackling a “taboo subject” and starting the conversation.

Overall, I think this is a very interesting take on the white working class and it gives you a glimpse into our recent election results. More can be said about other aspects of the working class when it comes to race and gender, but this is certainly an eye-opening glimpse into a part one sector of American society.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 11, 2019 at 11:59 AM

    west virginia is the epitome of what this blog is talking about, dozens of rundown and or old mining towns stuck in time, I encourage you to take a drive through a town in the central area of the state the next time you're around

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousOctober 14, 2019 at 7:42 AM

    I'm glad you're still enjoying reading even though you've slowed down. That has happened to me as well , but I'm still enjoying the time I have when I do have free time. The book you're reading seems very interesting. This book really seems to show life lessons.

    ReplyDelete

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