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

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

This memoir shines when Vance talks about his personal experiences (especially from his childhood) - those are the parts I found most interesting. I found myself skimming over everything else; when Vance tries to zoom out and look at the "big picture" of Appalachian culture and its effects it often comes across condescending and as a lecture on a topic he's very conservative about. The book really started to lose me after he became a Marine. It was upsetting to learn that this man is an avid Trump supporter (even now in June 2024!). Would Mamaw, the guardian who has almost legendary status in this book, approve of that? My heart tells me no.

Edited to add that I watched the movie on Netflix and it's one of those rare instances where the movie is better than the book in my opinion, since it focuses much more heavily on Vance family dynamics than overarching Appalachian issues.