J. D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy

The book that I have chosen to review is Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance. This book gives interesting insight as to why lower class white voters vote the way that they do. Vance does this eloquently and with a dignity on the subject that is unrivaled. The simplicity in Vance’s writing makes it understandable to any reader, however his targeted audience is mainly those who don't understand how a man like Donald Trump could win an election. The works ability to be understood and empathized with by nearly any audience gives this book the designation of what I would consider to be a good book. Vance makes it clear early on that it is easy to look at white America as one large lump of privileged people. However, the reality of the situation with

Vance himself, but his other family members are also included. To help the audience get an idea of his background which gives credibility to his case. I believe this book to be a credible and valid book in beginning to understand lower class white America for many reasons. The author gives validity to his cases and point by showing his audience the circumstances that he lived through and has overcome. My own personal experiences with my own family when compared with his story also lines up pretty well. Although Vance grew up in a rural part of Ohio, similar experience have been shared with my family in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Tennessee. Poverty has a monumental effect on a person's well being and Vance makes this case also. Being trapped in poverty even when you are supposed to have the upper hand can be devastating to people who have worked to make something of themselves. After so many times of failing at being what they wanted to be people begin to give up and lose hope. In my own family people have tried as hard as they can to get an upper hand. My uncle at one point in time had a full scholarship to Swanee however his family pressured him in some ways to be with a girl who was related to people that had