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A review by lauraborkpower
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
3.0
This is an interesting -- and politically relevant -- snapshot into the lives and viewpoints of a population I know little about and with whom I have only spent a small amount of time.
Vance's story is personal and, at times, stunning. He and his family have struggled with violence and substance abuse and poverty; but his tone is never that of a victim. He is proud of his accomplishments (rightly so) and of the life he has lived to achieve them (rightly so). He owns his flaws and those of his family and community, and he speaks about problem solving in a refreshingly pragmatic way.
But I was so spoiled from Between the World and Me (please read it right away if you haven't yet) and I now see that as the height of all memoir. And of course the two stories are different; but Vance's story is one of struggle and ultimate success, and now he is a happily married white man with an Ivy League law degree. And Coates's story is about his skin, his body, and that is something beyond socioeconomic circumstances. You can't walk away from that. This is an important differentiation between the weight of the two stories.
Vance narrates this audiobook, and he does a fine job, though when he's reading the especially dark parts from his childhood and details about the "hillbilly" diet and poverty levels, his even, straight-forward tone is a bit surreal. It's a quick read/listen, and an interesting one at that.
Vance's story is personal and, at times, stunning. He and his family have struggled with violence and substance abuse and poverty; but his tone is never that of a victim. He is proud of his accomplishments (rightly so) and of the life he has lived to achieve them (rightly so). He owns his flaws and those of his family and community, and he speaks about problem solving in a refreshingly pragmatic way.
But I was so spoiled from Between the World and Me (please read it right away if you haven't yet) and I now see that as the height of all memoir. And of course the two stories are different; but Vance's story is one of struggle and ultimate success, and now he is a happily married white man with an Ivy League law degree. And Coates's story is about his skin, his body, and that is something beyond socioeconomic circumstances. You can't walk away from that. This is an important differentiation between the weight of the two stories.
Vance narrates this audiobook, and he does a fine job, though when he's reading the especially dark parts from his childhood and details about the "hillbilly" diet and poverty levels, his even, straight-forward tone is a bit surreal. It's a quick read/listen, and an interesting one at that.