Hillbilly Elegy

The book Hillbilly Elegy has become a talking point for many. Its author, J.D. Vance, has become a vocal right-wing politician while the film adaptation was ruthlessly panned. Yet, I found myself curiously drawn to the story.

There had to be a reason it led to all this aftermath. The reason, I found out, was that it is an inspiring read. Following a boy’s adolescence in poor Appalachia, I found myself sympathizing and learning something about the struggles blue-collar folks face.

While my upbringing was nowhere near as dramatic as Vance’s, I could relate. I grew up on a farm.… show more.

Here is another book I added to my TBR list while researching my book—and another that sat there for years. But the similarities don’t end there. This is a coming-of-age story about clannish poor whites in the rural south. In both books the protagonist is a child growing up in a dysfunctional family. Again, I found a YouTube interview in which the author spoke of the love he has for his grandparents who were unconventional in their behavior.

It is my view that children from dysfunctional families often think their lives are normal.

What Hillbilly Elegy brought up for me as an abuse survivor is that grey area where one asks if exposure to violence that may not directly affect you is abuse. What do we do about our family members who are uneducated and violent, with aggression as a survival tactic in society. J.D. Vance felt loved by grandparents who were loyal but also extremely erratic in their behavior. He was also taught it was okay to retaliate to his oppressors with violence. His mother’s rage is also a fright for him, where he fears his life even when she doesn’t lay… show more.