Gordon Jack
Plot Summary
Hillbilly Elegy was recently named by the Times as "one of six books to help understand Trump's win." This is the story of how a boy who grew up in poverty in Kentucky's Appalachia region went on to become a Yale Law School graduate. Vance chronicles his family's struggles with alcoholism, abuse, and trauma and how he was able to rise above these circumstances through personal fortitude and community support. He uses this coming of age story to shed light on the decline of white, working-class Americans.
Critical Evaluation
I picked up this book after the election because I wanted to understand the world outside our Silicon Valley bubble better. J.D. Vance's story helped immerse me in a culture and community that I knew very little about. After reading this, I feel like I have a better understanding of how poor, working class communities like the one Vance grew up in both help and hurt a person's chances for happiness and success. For all the hardships Vance endures, he has the love and strength of his family to get him through the hard times. In the end, the author doesn't offer much advice on how to help these communities, but he does lift a veil and help the reader understand them better.
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