PDF Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J D Vance 9780062300553 Books

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, NAMED BY THE TIMES AS ONE OF "6 BOOKS TO HELP UNDERSTAND TRUMP'S WIN" AND SOON TO BE A MAJOR-MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD

"You will not read a more important book about America this year."—The Economist

"A riveting book."—The Wall Street Journal

"Essential reading."—David Brooks, New York Times

Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.

The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history.

A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

PDF Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J D Vance 9780062300553 Books

"Appalachia: Rich Land, Poor People
I had high expectations for this book. I was born and raised in Appalachia and have a great love for the people and the culture. No doubt the author reflects his family experience, but i do feel that his account is not representative of the people of that place and time. As in most cultures, there is a broad spectrum of lifestyles and mores -- people with similar dispositions tend to find like members for their closest association. There are many wonderful kind and loving people in Appalachia who are living out the best examples that they can for family, friends, and strangers alike. I found these people to be in the majority. They are not portrayed in this account. For many summers I traveled extensively in my home county, not only the little settlements, but the houses back in the hollows and down in the narrow bottom lands. As a stranger i was almost always welcomed and offered help in getting my job done. I was often invited to take a simple meal. These people are poor with little material possessions. Yes there are some bad people as well, as a reading of the court docket in the local county papers will confirm. But do not let that darkness of a few outlaws color the picture of an entire people.

To better understand the origins and long standing troubles of the Appalachian people i suggest you read, NIGHT COMES TO THE CUMBERLAND, by Henry Caudill of Pikeville, KY. From the cover notes: The quality of life in Appalachia declined during the Civil War and Appalachia remained "in a bad way" for the next century and longer. By the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Appalachia had become an island of poverty in a national sea of plenty and prosperity. Caudill's book alerted the mainstream world to our problems and their causes. A major factor was the exploitation of natural resources (timber, coal, and later gas) by disinterested distant owners who left the owners of these rich lands poorly educated, poorly trained, land ruined, and hoodwinked over and over. Systematically looted by the robber entrepreneurs and their local toadies. With a few notable exceptions the exploitation cycle continues. Appalachia: Rich Land, Poor People, still.
JSM"

Product details Paperback 288 pages Publisher Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition (May 1, 2018) Language English ISBN-10 9780062300553 ISBN-13 978-0062300553 ASIN 0062300555

Tags : Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis [J. D. Vance] on . <strong><em>#1 NEW YORK TIMES </em>BESTSELLER, NAMED BY THE <em>TIMES </em>AS ONE OF 6 BOOKS TO HELP UNDERSTAND TRUMP'S WIN AND SOON TO BE A MAJOR-MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD </strong> <strong> You will not read a more important book about America this year.</strong><strong> —<em>The Economist </em></strong> <strong> A riveting book. —<em>The Wall Street Journal</em></strong> <strong> Essential reading. —David Brooks,J. D. Vance,Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,Harper Paperbacks,0062300555,Poverty Homelessness,Sociology - General,Sociology - Rural,Appalachian Region,Appalachian Region - Economic conditions,Appalachian Region;Economic conditions.,Appalachians (People) - Kentucky - Social conditions,Appalachians (People) - Ohio - Middletown - Social conditions,Autobiographies,Biography,Case studies,Economic history,Families,Kentucky,Middletown (Ohio) - Economic conditions,Middletown (Ohio) - Social conditions,Mountain people - Kentucky - Social conditions,Mountain people - Social conditions,Social mobility,Social mobility - United States,United States,Vance, J. D,Vance, J. D - Family,Working class whites,Working class whites - Social conditions,Working class whites - United States,Working class whites - United States - Social conditions,Working class whites;United States;Biography.,Working class whites;United States;Social conditions.,Nonfiction,Appalachian Region,Appalachian Region - Economic conditions,Appalachian Region;Economic conditions.,Appalachians (People) - Kentucky - Social conditions,Appalachians (People) - Ohio - Middletown - Social conditions,Autobiographies,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs,BIOGRAPHY AND AUTOBIOGRAPHY,Biography,Case studies,Economic history,Families,GENERAL,General Adult,Kentucky,Middletown (Ohio) - Economic conditions,Middletown (Ohio) - Social conditions,Mountain people - Kentucky - Social conditions,Mountain people - Social conditions,Non-Fiction,Nonfiction,Poverty Homelessness,RURAL SOCIOLOGY,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Poverty Homelessness,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Rural,SOCIAL STRATIFICATION,Social Science,Social Science/Ethnic Studies - General,Social Science/Poverty Homelessness,Social Science/Social Classes Economic Disparity,Social mobility,Social mobility - United States,Sociology,Sociology - General,Sociology - Rural,United States,Vance, J. D,Vance, J. D - Family,Working class whites,Working class whites - Social conditions,Working class whites - United States,Working class whites - United States - Social conditions,Working class whites;United States;Biography.,Working class whites;United States;Social conditions.,BIOGRAPHY AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Poverty Homelessness,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General,SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / Rural,Social Science/Ethnic Studies - General,Social Science/Poverty Homelessness,Social Science/Social Classes Economic Disparity,Rural Sociology,Social Stratification,Social Science,Sociology

Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J D Vance 9780062300553 Books Reviews :

Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J D Vance 9780062300553 Books Reviews

• There is a lot to take in here, even for someone that's seen this life up close in many of its many guises.
  
  While ostensibly about the particular culture of the West Virginia Scots-Irish underclass, anyone that has seen white poverty in America's flyover states will recognize much of what is written about here. It is a life on the very edge of plausibility, without the sense of extra-family community that serves as a stabilizing agent in many first-generation immigrant communities or communities of color. Drugs, crime, jail time, abusive interactions without any knowledge of other forms of interaction, children growing up in a wild mix of stoned mother care, foster care, and care by temporary "boyfriends," and in general, an image of life on the edge of survival where even the heroes are distinctly flawed for lack of knowledge and experience of any other way of living.
  
  This is a story that many of the "upwardly mobile middle class" in the coastal areas, often so quick to judge the lifestyles and politics of "those people" in middle America, has no clue about. I speak from experience as someone that grew up in the heartland but has spent years in often elite circles on either coast.
  
  Two things struck me most about this book.
  
  First, the unflinching yet not judgmental portrayal of the circumstances and of the people involved. It is difficult to write on this subject without either glossing over the ugliness and making warm and fuzzy appeals to idealism and human nature, Hollywood style, or without on the other hand descending into attempts at political persuasion and calls to activism. This book manages to paint the picture, in deeply moving ways, without committing either sin, to my eye.
  
  Second, the author's growing realization, fully present by the end of the work, that while individuals do not have total control over the shapes of their lives, their choices do in fact matter—that even if one can't direct one's life like a film, one does always have the at least the input into life that comes from being free to make choices, every day, and in every situation.
  
  It is this latter point, combined with the general readability and writing skill in evidence here, that earns five stars from me. Despite appearances, I found this to be an inspiring book. I came away feeling empowered and edified, and almost wishing I'd become a Marine in my younger days as the author decided to do—something I've never thought or felt before.
  
  I hate to fall into self-analysis and virtue-signaling behavior in a public review, but in this case I feel compelled to say that the author really did leave with me a renewed motivation to make more of my life every day, to respect and consider the choices that confront me much more carefully, and to seize moments of opportunity with aplomb when they present themselves. Given that a Hillbilly like the author can find his way and make good choices despite the obstacles he's encountered, many readers will find themselves stripped bare and exposed—undeniably ungrateful and just a bit self-absorbed for not making more of the hand we've been dealt every day.
  
  I'm a big fan of edifying reads, and though given the subject matter one might imagine this book to be anything but, in fact this book left me significantly better than it found me in many ways. It also did much to renew my awareness of the differences that define us in this country, and of the many distinct kinds of suffering and heroism that exist.
  
  Well worth your time.
• I spent most of the last 2 days reading this book and I can't stop thinking about it. I never heard of the author until I saw him on Morning Joe a few days ago but I looked him up and read several articles he wrote for various publications so I bought his book. He grew up in a family of what he describes as "hillbillies" from Kentucky but spent most of his life in Ohio. His family identified as being strongly Christian even though their behavior was frequently not particularly Christian. He was mostly raised by his grandparents along with his half-sister because his mother was an addict who went from husband to husband and he barely knew his father. He did poorly in school and was only redeemed by the fact that a cousin pushed him into joining the Marines. From there he went to Ohio State and then to Yale Law School.
  
  He writes very directly and honestly about the problems with white, working class America and why it is in decline. While part of the problem is societal, he believes there is an internal problem that government cannot do anything about. He suggests that tribalism, mistrust of outsiders and "elites," violence and irresponsibility among family members, parents without ethics and a sense of responsibility, terrible work ethics, and an us-against-them mentality is dooming the people who live that way to becoming poorer, more addicted, and more marginalized. Excellent book and very thought-provoking.
• Appalachia Rich Land, Poor People
  I had high expectations for this book. I was born and raised in Appalachia and have a great love for the people and the culture. No doubt the author reflects his family experience, but i do feel that his account is not representative of the people of that place and time. As in most cultures, there is a broad spectrum of lifestyles and mores -- people with similar dispositions tend to find like members for their closest association. There are many wonderful kind and loving people in Appalachia who are living out the best examples that they can for family, friends, and strangers alike. I found these people to be in the majority. They are not portrayed in this account. For many summers I traveled extensively in my home county, not only the little settlements, but the houses back in the hollows and down in the narrow bottom lands. As a stranger i was almost always welcomed and offered help in getting my job done. I was often invited to take a simple meal. These people are poor with little material possessions. Yes there are some bad people as well, as a reading of the court docket in the local county papers will confirm. But do not let that darkness of a few outlaws color the picture of an entire people.
  
  To better understand the origins and long standing troubles of the Appalachian people i suggest you read, NIGHT COMES TO THE CUMBERLAND, by Henry Caudill of Pikeville, KY. From the cover notes The quality of life in Appalachia declined during the Civil War and Appalachia remained "in a bad way" for the next century and longer. By the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, Appalachia had become an island of poverty in a national sea of plenty and prosperity. Caudill's book alerted the mainstream world to our problems and their causes. A major factor was the exploitation of natural resources (timber, coal, and later gas) by disinterested distant owners who left the owners of these rich lands poorly educated, poorly trained, land ruined, and hoodwinked over and over. Systematically looted by the robber entrepreneurs and their local toadies. With a few notable exceptions the exploitation cycle continues. Appalachia Rich Land, Poor People, still.
  JSM