Hillbilly Elegy

    Hillbilly Elegy shares a few things in common with Townie by Andre Dubus III. Both grew up in lousy communities; both had parents who were incompetent; both rose above their circumstances. The difference is that while Dubus had to contend with a bad town, Vance’s worst enemy was his own family, and it followed him wherever he went.

    I wasn’t shocked or surprised by anything in the story, I’m very familiar with poor Caucasian families ruined by drugs (or their own bad ways) and whole neighborhoods full of neglected kids. What’s new to me here is the way the author discusses how the economy effected his family. They started out as uneducated, violent people from Kentucky, then they migrated to Ohio for factory work, but it didn’t cure their bad habits. Whether it was the nice home, or the good paycheck, or the middle-class neighbors, nothing changed them. They were still combative, took the work “no” as an insult, and failed to raise their children properly. Finally the factories closed, the jobs dried up, and all they had left was their aggressive behavior. That alone doesn’t pay the bills.

    What makes Hillbilly Elegy stand out from other similar memoirs (The Glass Castle, Burn Down the Ground, Townie, Breaking Midnight) is that Vance turns the story into an exploration of history. He explains how his community began, and describes the locations so well that you can almost smell the filth (and the trees) in Middletown, Ohio, (where his grandparents went for factory work) and Kentucky (where they returned.) He describes his grandparents as too tough for their own good, and they raise their daughter to have no self-control. By the time they realize the error in their ways, it’s too late; she’s gotten into drugs, neglects and abuses her kids, and can’t hold down a job. She does actually have a career – she gets a nursing license – but keeps loosing her job because of her behavior. Grandma’s money keeps her going, and the lifelong enabling of this addict doesn’t help.

   At least the story has a happy ending; Vance joins the USMC, goes to Ohio U on the G.I. Bill, graduates early, gets a scholarship to Yale Law School, gets in with the rights crowd. But he doesn’t “luck out” in his fortune – it’s all due to his own motivation – and that sets him apart from others in his hometown. Take for instance the first chapter of the book; he’s working a summer job in his hometown and the boss can’t find reliable people. There’s a young man working there, with a wife and kid to support, and the guy is always in the bathroom or missing workdays. This man has absolutely no understanding of what it means to have a job, and you can’t blame the rich guy who owns the factory. After all, isn’t he doing a service by offering the young man a job? As for Vance’s mother, she never gets herself off drugs, and that’s no surprise; her mother always bailed her out.

    I might add here that every single character in this book is White. The good, the bad, the wise, the foolish, the rich and poor, they’re all White people here. The media makes poverty look “Black,” but it ruins all races. In fact, the media plays a part later, when an Ohio U classmate, liberal and educated, calls the US troops in Iraq “murderers” and “babykillers.” Unknown to this college liberal (but well known to the author) is that a lot of US Marines were very liberal, and many of them detested President George W. Bush. It goes to show that people base their opinions on what they see on TV, hear from their parents, or both. Wherever Vance’s family lived – be it Ohio or Kentucky – there were families that had nice houses and stable lives, in contrast to his. It wasn’t through luck, but through responsibility and showing up to work on time. Everything boils down to what you learn at home. If your folks set the wrong example, you end up losing. Vance pulled himself up from it, but most do not.

    There’s a humorous anecdote in this book, with regard to “bible-thumping.” According to the author, it’s nothing but a stereotype – church attendance is not common in Kentucky – and it has a major effect on the people. The ones that go to church every Sunday end up happier and healthier, with a better support network and a clergyperson they can talk to. They make better decisions, and are less prone to being rash. Churchgoing effected the outcome of the 2016 election; the churchgoers wanted Paul Ryan, Rand Paul and Ben Carson, but the majority (who don’t go to church) wanted – you guessed it – Donald Trump!