Book Review - Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

This seems to be my year for crossing paths with right-wing notables.

J.D. Vance is 33. His book, Hillbilly Elegy, has been atop the bestseller list for more than a year. My wager is that Vance will be one to pick up the pieces after Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Roy Moore and Steve Bannon do each other in.

Last year, I wrote a very critical review of Vance’s book. Much of the book, despite some poignant stories, wasn’t an elegy at all, but an exercise in moral superiority. In places, it was downright condescending. 

Sidestepping the economic devastation of Appalachia, Vance seemed determined to place most of the blame on poor choices and bad behavior by individuals, rather like the right’s favorite pseudo-social scientist, Charles Murray. In the end, poverty is about values, and character. He wrote:

We spend our way into the poorhouse. We buy giant TVs. … We purchase homes we don’t need, refinance them for more spending money, and declare bankruptcy, often leaving them full of garbage in our wake. Thrift is inimical to our being…

Yet, at the same time, the book reflected a profound and moving personal journey; for much of it, Vance seemed to be trying to figure out what he really thought as he went along.

Last week, Vance and I found ourselves at a conference on the future of democracy at Oberlin. I had presented, on Thursday, with New Yorker writer Jane Mayer. Vance arrived, as a celebrity speaker, on Friday. I had never seen him live and was extremely curious.

The Vance I saw was rather different from the author of Hillbilly Elegy. Much of what he had to say was about the epidemic of opioid abuse. He spoke eloquently of the devastating human cost of the loss of jobs that offered self-respect and paid a living wage. 

He told the story of an 8-year-old, addicted to drugs by his addict parents, a person who obviously could not be held accountable for making poor choices.

Get A Copy of This Book Today, Click Now:

Original review on: www.huffingtonpost.com