J.D. Vance considered, organized, and then wrote his family's story truthfully using drama, comedy, quotes, compelling facts, and more--all with encouragement and hope, but without pity for himself or anyone else. It is outstanding! I enjoyed it and recommend it thoroughly. The Netflix film directed by Ron Howard is impressive, too.
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There are mainly three groups of people that will review this book regardless if they're professional critics, amateur writers, or regular readers. And there's also three types of reviews they will write; Pre-Candidate for VP, Campaign Season, and Post-Election reviews. Consider this a regular reader's Campaign Season review written two months before the 2024 election. Many people who review this book, whether they liked it or not, or felt somewhat lukewarm to it, have written their reviews as a kind of sounding board from their own unique life-experiences in relation to this book. Those can be cathartic for both readers and writers of such pieces. Others will find fault with the author's work, style, book title, etc. as if writers plan the entire thing all by themselves. When a book is produced by one of the major publishing houses it goes through many hands before any of us ever get a glance at it, as was the case with this book. So hopefully this assessment will come more from that side of the reader's view and less judgy about any of the other stuff that can be read in spades on the thousands of reviews that have been and will be written about this book. The book is not that long, only 265 pages, but it sure packs a lot in those pages. That's something that really worked well with this type of book. At the 2017 National Book Festival in Washington DC, aired on C-Span, J.D. Vance spoke in front of a huge audience about this book and gave a considerable amount of details about it. Here are a few noteworthy points: Vance did not expect to be a New York Times bestseller on his first book. The concept of the book started in Law School (Yale) with his interests and questions regarding upward mobility. Also part of a scholarly thesis required to graduate. Was encouraged by a professorial advisor, who was also a popular author, to write from both a personal and intellectual perspective. Through this connection he met his agent. Was able to bring a grounded feel to an otherwise academic topic with legal and policy implications. Initially resistant to opening up about his personal life but gained more clarity as he came to realize his individual understanding of the topic as an insider with authentic emotional connections to the subject rather than purely notional or theoretical. Started writing the book part-time in the middle of 2013 and took about 2 & a half years while working another job. Initial print run of 10,000 copies, sold out in less than the first month. He wanted the word "Hillbilly" in the title because his family claimed it as a point of rustic esteem. His agent paired it with the word "Elegy." His family was open to telling stories publicly because many of them did not expect the book to be read by that many people. Critics and interviewers (at the time of its release) liked his straightforward tone. No excessive verbiage, a skill he developed when writing papers at Yale. Didn't think of himself as a talented writer, but learned in Law School how to be concise and engaging to the reader. Born into a broken home in Middletown Ohio where Appalachian kindred from eastern Kentucky migrated for better job opportunities. Initially raised by his single mom who early on worked as a nurse but became unstable with a myriad of social problems, opioid addiction, several failed dysfunctional relationships. Had a traumatic experience that put his family "in the system." Lost touch with, then reconnected with his father; a stable but distant type of man. Mostly lived with his grandparents, and after the passing of his "Papaw," lived with his "Mamaw." He considered them his real parents most responsible for guiding him to the man he would become. Would go back to Appalachian Kentucky with relatives to visit, always had fun and felt like that was where his heritage was at. Encouraged by his cousin Rachel to sign up for the US Marine Corps. After his service and tours in the desert wars was completed, it made college seem much less daunting as he was a bit older and more disciplined than most college students. Though non-fiction, this book reads like a novel. When asked after the book came out if he would be interested in politics, he laughed and left it ambiguous, not overly excited or dismissive to the idea. I enjoyed the book. It wasn't some groundbreaking revolutionary publication, but it offered insight into where this person was from and how he viewed things at the time it came out. He has since modified certain things in his outlook. In some ways he gained some followers, in other ways paid a price with the mainstream elites that treated him as one of them back then but now disdain him at every turn. He's an intelligent writer that doesn't bother you with fancy ornate words or catchy phrasing. One caution though, this book is profuse with curse words mainly retelling what someone said, and some of his own thrown in. He's got my vote!Read full review
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This is a good read…just dislike the vulgar language but realize this is what he grew up with….his Momaw & Papaw became endearing characters because of their love for JD.
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I was surprised on how good the book was. It was a sad, compelling read
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Great book that I can really relate to.
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Great book, I couldn't put it down.
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I can't wait to read it.
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One of the BEST books I have read in a very long time!
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great birthday gift
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Tells the true story of an often overlooked area of our country and it's people>
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