J.D. Vance's family left rural Kentucky for a better life in Middletown Ohio. Instead of champagne and caviar, the Vance family experienced poverty, abuse, and addiction. A young J.D. watched his mother go from man to man and from addiction to addiction. His home life was full of chaos and uncertainty. The only stability in his life was his Mawmaw. Her tough, no-nonsense approach with J.D is the only thing that propelled him out of the hillbilly life. MawMaw's focus on education made J.D. believe he could do it. And after a stint in the Marines, he went on to graduate from Ohio State University and then Yale Law School.
There is no question that J.D.'s childhood was rough. His mother was abusive, addicted, and a general mess. It was J.D.'s grandmother that instilled in him the sense of responsibility and the desire to do better. But even then, his grandmother wasn't an easy woman to live with. Growing up in rural Iowa, there was a lot of his book that I could recognize. I think that level of poverty and dysfunction is not exclusive to "hillbillies." What I really liked about Hillbilly Elegy was the cold hard facts that J.D. inserted into his memoir. It broke up the dysfunction and left the reader with some food for thought. CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS I wanted to get the book read before watching the movie on Netflix and I am so glad that I did. I thought the movie was really, really good. But it only scratched the surface of J.D.'s life.
Bottom Line - Hillbilly Elegy is a really, really good book that was turned into a good movie. The movie is only a part of the story. Do yourself a favor and be sure to read the book after watching the movie. You will not be disappointed.
Details:
- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
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- Pages: 288
- Publisher: Harper
- Publication Date: 6/28/2016
- Buy it Here!
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