REVIEW: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

A new book by J.D. Vance

This is a brilliantly poignant personal essay on the plight of poor working class whites, the Scots-Irish of Appalachia and the Rust Belt. Experience through Vance the migration of “hillbillies” from Appalachia to the booming factories of the Midwest during WWII and the years following. The attainment of middle class financial status, while still having the culture of the mountains, placed them in a position of not belonging in either place. The loss of jobs in the Rust Belt meant their children and grandchildren could not be middle class. Upward mobility became a distant memory, replaced with unemployment, government assistance and addiction. Remaining was patriotism, an outdated form of honor and a resentfulness towards the welfare state, though many were its recipients. Vance explains that government policies can help but not solve the problem, with harsh words for both Democrats and Republicans. The solution is in the hands of the Hillbillies themselves, requiring a mindset and cultural change. What I say about it does not do it justice. This short read deserves to be read.

— Reviewed by Hoyt Tuggle, Lawrenceville, Ga.