Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Synopsis: An American Story of Family, Culture and Class.  

Writing Style: Direct. Passionate. Straightforward   

Pacing: FAST!

Personal Highlights: I was tempted to pick up this book a while back but didn’t until I heard Vance speaking at the RNC. 

The intro was a bonus! Vance keenly describes his humble beginnings (80’s/90’s) growing up in rural towns. His family. Hillbilly culture. The erosion of communities, no jobs, closed businesses, ghost towns springing up, and thus the breakdown of families. Life was tough, and tougher for fragile families. Gratefully Vance had Lindsay and Mam'aw, a treat for a vivid hard story. 

Personally humoring was his grandmother’s mini lectures. "Never be like losers who think the deck is stacked against them…" and the "The Neighbor Lady" and oh man, I howled at her straight to the point reply answering her grandchild’s sobering identity question. Other things that stuck; The "TV Accents". Learning his multiplications and understanding his need for normalcy. 

Largely, values that built Vance’s general work ethics is front and center. Family is at his core, though the Marine Corps gave him the push he needed to finish school... go to Yale… and be in position to see through situations such as the payday loan incident (among many). Overall, in so few pages this all-around humbling story resonates. Highly recommended. Read soft-copy 2016 copyright edition.