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

This is the true story of Vance’s life, growing up in Ohio and eastern Kentucky in one of our country’s poorest areas, Appalachia. His father abandoned him and his sister as young kids, and his mother, a drug addict, jumped from one toxic relationship to another. But, Vance was lucky. His grandparents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, were the strong hold in his life and his greatest supporters. Pawpaw died when Vance was young and Mawmaw, with whom he lived full-time in his late childhood, was a gun-toting, no-bullshit-taking kind of a woman, whom he loved and whose presence was life-saving. His sister too, just five years older than him, was his saving grace. Vance overcame poverty, abuse, neglect, constant upheaval and loss to join the marines, graduate with honors from Ohio State University and finally, attend Yale Law School. Using anecdotal stories from his own life experience and sharing some of the latest research on poverty in the US, Vance's story is intended to shed light on poverty in white, working-class Appalachia.

I really like parts of this book. Vance's life story is inspiring. He recognizes that lady-luck was on his side, but mostly that the people around him, his grandparents, sister and teachers, pushed him and motivated him to make good choices. I love the descriptions of Mawmaw- what a character she was! Where I felt this book wasn't successful is in Vance's attempt to make his story of poverty, specific to Appalachia. I think that much of what he describes can be attributed to poverty in general and could be described about poor families anywhere in the US. I also think that he tends to oversimplify poverty. I strongly believe that how we give, save and spend our money is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals and therefore, poverty and how we get in to that state or come out of that state, is different for everyone. Ultimately, though, this was an inspiring read and certainly serves to shed light on poverty, one of America’s greatest handicaps.