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A review by donnaeve
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
5.0
From Mamaw's foul mouth to J.D. Vance's easy going, chatty way of writing, this memoir was entertaining, eye-opening, and enlightening.
I think one of the most important things I took away from this, is the way "we" think. "We" meaning internally, about ourselves. We have these notions because of our influences, our upbringing, and how we perceive the world around us, and make our own individual decisions (assumptions in many cases) about what is, can be, or should be. What Vance pointed out, for example, was how he thought only someone rich and/or with connections, could ever attend Yale. (he attended) Yet, it turns out that's not the case at all, anyone has just as good a chance, and it can cost much less for that individual.
With his particularly dysfunctional background, and dysfunctional it was, he began to question why his folks, or anyone for that matter, would think they couldn't achieve these same things, such as that higher education, as someone more privileged. He was able to draw many conclusions, too many to give here. It came down to both complicated, and simple reasons. There was a term "social capital," (knowing/having connections with the right people) and being ignorant of the things a lot of us take for granted.
It's definitely the book to read in the current political climate if you want to understand anything about the Trump win - or simply to understand a different way of life. I could connect with a lot of this - although my family are not hillbillies. Yet there are/were many parallels here, and there were many moments as I read along where I was thinking, "exactly!" or "wow that sounds like "Aunt and Uncle XXXX." I'm glad I read this book.
I think one of the most important things I took away from this, is the way "we" think. "We" meaning internally, about ourselves. We have these notions because of our influences, our upbringing, and how we perceive the world around us, and make our own individual decisions (assumptions in many cases) about what is, can be, or should be. What Vance pointed out, for example, was how he thought only someone rich and/or with connections, could ever attend Yale. (he attended) Yet, it turns out that's not the case at all, anyone has just as good a chance, and it can cost much less for that individual.
With his particularly dysfunctional background, and dysfunctional it was, he began to question why his folks, or anyone for that matter, would think they couldn't achieve these same things, such as that higher education, as someone more privileged. He was able to draw many conclusions, too many to give here. It came down to both complicated, and simple reasons. There was a term "social capital," (knowing/having connections with the right people) and being ignorant of the things a lot of us take for granted.
It's definitely the book to read in the current political climate if you want to understand anything about the Trump win - or simply to understand a different way of life. I could connect with a lot of this - although my family are not hillbillies. Yet there are/were many parallels here, and there were many moments as I read along where I was thinking, "exactly!" or "wow that sounds like "Aunt and Uncle XXXX." I'm glad I read this book.