Hillbilly Elegy
By J. D. Vance
Oh my flipping gosh. This week's book is so stinking depressing that I can't even put it into words. I have read some pretty depressing books in my time, by my own choosing, but I always had the option to stop if I felt like it. (Push by Sapphire and A child Called It are two that just spring to my mind.) I had done a reading challenge and one of the books that was listed was “a book that made you cry”. All of the books that were listed haven't made me cry yet, by the way. I don't think I am dead inside, but books just don't seem to be able invoke that spectrum of emotion in me.
Well this week's book is the first book of the new year for my book group. The book group is through my church, but the books don't have to be connected to religion whatsoever. We picked the upcoming year's books in November or October I can't remember. I am the “leader” aka the person that emails everyone reminding people when and what we are reading. Well I'm not afraid to say that while the people were suggesting their books, I straight up didn't want to read any of the picks. I mean, I read a wide variety of books, but all of the books suggested seems like something I would never want to read. They all sounded so flipping depressing that I had no intention of reading any of them. I was heartbroken when I came home after the meeting where we were discussing the picks for the upcoming year. I want to also have it noted that I am the youngest person in the group by at least fifteen but probably more like thirty years.
This week's book is the autobiography of a self proclaimed hillbilly who lives in Kentucky and Ohio. He has made a life for himself and might run for office soon. He was raised in a poor town and had a horrible home life. His grandparents pretty much raised him along with his older sister. He ended up going into the military and going to Yale’s law school.
The story shows that if a person from a dire situation has people who love them, or the individual has the drive, they will be able to break the cycle of what most people in these circumstances are forced to do. Parents treat their children and significant others like garbage. They didn't make much money at their job and a lot of time, according to this book, the people don't have any work ethic. They aren't paid well and are fired a lot for not showing up for work. When it comes to their children they don't have enough time or love for them. The children end up following in the footsteps of the people that they are around the most and are destined to make the same mistakes.
I want to state my feelings are not at all what I was just explaining, these were the facts that were laid out in the book. The author speaks of "welfare queens" and the people all only eating fast food. Almost every person the author talks about has drinking or drug problems. But the fact that broke my heart was that after reading this book I was hopeful that the author would have some inside knowledge of how to help this demographic, being the fact that these were his people. But he doesn't, not one helpful way this whole group of people could better themselves. It was just flipping depressing as all get out. One woman in my group said she thought he was just telling us about his story to get the information out so people would be better educated about what is going on.
The book was well written and well researched. I hope the author goes on to make a difference in the world someday, but for this moment I am super bummed that I had to buy this book and read it. (The library called two days after I was forced to buy the book on my Nook, telling me I could check the book out now, such is life). Maybe someday this guy will write a better book that I would enjoy more. I don't recommend this book.
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