Growing up in Canada, I suppose one doesn't hear very much about Kentucky or Appalachia but I had a relatively good impression of the place - elegant horse racing, nice whisky (for some reason Americans add an extra "e" to the word) blue grass music and good hearty meals like fried chicken.
J.D. Vance writes about his family origins in Kentucky and Ohio and his Scots-Irish relatives who came from Appalachia as a proud, violent group who is suffering from a poverty of opportunity and fallen into a pattern of broken families, drug abuse and unemployment in Hillbilly Elgy.
On that point, I am not sure the path of J.D. Vance's family really originated with Scots-Irish nationality. I recognize some of the cultural traits of Scots-Irish in Vance's family such as a streak of independence, a pronounced tendency towards feuds and grudges and an attraction to military service but many Canadians have Scots-Irish nationality (Look at the old street names in Toronto - it might be the dominant ethnicity in Southern and Western Ontario) and I don't think that group is any more plagued by violence or drug addiction than any other nationality. Perhaps something else put the Scots-Irish on the path that JD Vance describes.
Still, this book shines in describing Vance's family as they struggle with violence, trauma, addictions and his sadness as he moves from house-to-house and his mother bounces among men with predictable drama, occasionally terrifying violence and an underwhelming school experience in neighborhoods full of families just like his. Among all these challenges, Vance had loving and stabilizing grandparents who provided support and consistency in spite of rustic manners. Vance's grandparent's gave him the stability to realize that education was the way out and helped him realize that to break some of the patterns of his town and his family that he may need to leave the people he cared most about.
In spite of many obstacles and often feeling like an outsider, Vance went on to a successful military career and made his way through prestigious universities where he found love and lasting stability. Vance has interactions with his mother that are hard-to-read, and the reader mourns with him as the health of this grandparents slowly goes by. In the end, its a relief that Vance makes peace with his hillbilly family and starts a family of his own.
J.D. Vance writes about his family origins in Kentucky and Ohio and his Scots-Irish relatives who came from Appalachia as a proud, violent group who is suffering from a poverty of opportunity and fallen into a pattern of broken families, drug abuse and unemployment in Hillbilly Elgy.
On that point, I am not sure the path of J.D. Vance's family really originated with Scots-Irish nationality. I recognize some of the cultural traits of Scots-Irish in Vance's family such as a streak of independence, a pronounced tendency towards feuds and grudges and an attraction to military service but many Canadians have Scots-Irish nationality (Look at the old street names in Toronto - it might be the dominant ethnicity in Southern and Western Ontario) and I don't think that group is any more plagued by violence or drug addiction than any other nationality. Perhaps something else put the Scots-Irish on the path that JD Vance describes.
Still, this book shines in describing Vance's family as they struggle with violence, trauma, addictions and his sadness as he moves from house-to-house and his mother bounces among men with predictable drama, occasionally terrifying violence and an underwhelming school experience in neighborhoods full of families just like his. Among all these challenges, Vance had loving and stabilizing grandparents who provided support and consistency in spite of rustic manners. Vance's grandparent's gave him the stability to realize that education was the way out and helped him realize that to break some of the patterns of his town and his family that he may need to leave the people he cared most about.
In spite of many obstacles and often feeling like an outsider, Vance went on to a successful military career and made his way through prestigious universities where he found love and lasting stability. Vance has interactions with his mother that are hard-to-read, and the reader mourns with him as the health of this grandparents slowly goes by. In the end, its a relief that Vance makes peace with his hillbilly family and starts a family of his own.
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