Review: Hillbilly Elegy

Author: JD Vance

This book had me reflecting on my own climb upward of the social ladder.  I am also white and have come from a “humble” upbringing.  I too saw that being disadvantaged was not primarily an issue restricted to race.  I did not face familial battles with violence and drugs within the family.  I nodded with his discomfort in entering the upper-middle-class world, his fear of being found out and exposed.  The Military too was the catalyst for change in my life.  I get why Trump was so attractive to so many humble white folks in American society.  The government can help, but will not save us.

Any book that has you reflecting is good.  Its prose is well written and tells a confronting narrative.  I suspect Vance of putting forward a political agenda, but I cannot always argue with his conclusions.  People are responsible for their own lives.  The government can only bring the proverbial horse to water, the government cannot make the people drink.  I still like the idea of a safety net, we should not leave people starving, unclothed, or without housing.  As Vance points out, welfare recipients in Western Democracies are more likely to die of overeating than under-eating by a significant proportion.  Maybe we are the problem, not our governments.  Those of us from humble beginnings must take responsibility for improving our situation before our situation can improve.  Work, eat healthily, pay for your rent before your vices, respect the educational opportunities the state gives you and your children for free, don’t engage in violence.  If you are doing all these things consistently, then consider blaming the government.  You are your own and your brother’s keeper.