It is the true life story of a young Yale law school graduate who grew up in a poor, white family with Appalachian roots in a Rust Belt town in southwestern Ohio. It is a story that is both sobering and inspiring at the same time.
The book was a thoughtful Christmas gift from close friends and it had special significance to me as I lived and worked in the same town that author J.D.Vance grew up in----Middletown, Ohio--- for 13 years.
When I picked up the book I must admit I did not know what an elegy was. For those who are similarly unaware of the difference between an elegy and a eulogy here is how it is explained at Writingexplained.org.
It is common to see both of these words used during a funeral, but eulogy vs. elegy have different meanings. An Elegy is a mournful poem or song written about someone who has recently died. A Eulogy is a laudatory speech or written tribute praising someone who has recently died.
As I read the book I kept coming back to why Vance had chosen that title. An elegy is clearly considered to be more a work of art than a eulogy and therefore would seem to be more appropriate in the title of a book. The more important difference, however, is that Vance is mournful in the book. First of all, to his late grandmother who was the one steadying influence on his life. However, throughout the book you also see him mourning what has happened to the Rust Belt but also the fatal flaws in the Appalachian culture and lifestyle that has exacerbated their economic plight in America.
At the center of all of this is the Appalachian "culture of honor" that Malcolm Gladwell wrote about in his book, "Outliers". People from the Appalachian region have a reputation as hard workers who don't readily take hand-outs and are fiercely loyal to the people they are close to. However, it also means that they are also all too "willing to fight in response to even the slightest challenge to their reputation" and "a world where a man's reputation is at the center of his livelihood and self-worth." This can and does often manifest itself with disastrous consequences in personal and work relationships.
Vance's life story began when his newly married teenage grandparents left the hollers of Jackson, Kentucky in search of a better life. His grandfather found work in Middletown, Ohio at the Armco Steel plant right after the war. Armco was the same company that I spent over 20 years of my life working for. His "Papaw" worked in the steel mill. I worked in the Corporate Tax department.
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| Middletown Works Owned by AK Steel (formerly Armco Inc.) Credit: Memim.com |
As Vance points out in the book, there was a class divide in Middletown between white and blue collar workers. However, that divide was in no way as large as what he later found when he went to law school at Yale in New Haven or lived in Washington, DC or San Francisco. Middletown was a city of about 50,000 people and we all shopped in the same stores, we ate in the same restaurants and our kids played together in the same Little League and youth soccer leagues. You find far less class interaction in most coastal cities.
The big difference in the life of J.D. Vance and my kids (who were just slightly older) was what happened in the home. Vance was constantly uprooted as his mother went through a series of bad relationships. During his school years he had as many as eight "stepdads" of one form or another. He was shuttled from one home to another. His mother struggled with drug addiction and anger issues. The only steady influence was his "Mamaw" who was a consistent source of love and support to J.D. although she was not anything like the grandmothers that my children knew. Unlike Mamaw they did not carry a gun and say to their grandchildren, "You know I love you but I'm just a crazy bitch" or "I'm sorry I'm so damned mean."
All of this is summed up by the many contradictions that Vance lists in the Hillbilly culture. The family loyalty, the glorification of self reliance and the respect for their roots all make their world a little slice of heaven in some respects. However, the walk does not often match the talk according to Vance.
They know they should not spend to improve their status, but they do it anyway. They end up mired in debt and in bankruptcies.
They choose not to work when they should be looking for a job.
Sometimes they get a job but it will not last because of tardiness or laziness. When they lose their job they convince themselves it is due to some perceived unfairness.
They did not study in school and know that it is one of the reasons they cannot get ahead but they don't make their children study when they are parents.
They may have had to suffer abuse as a child with a parent who had an addiction problem but they also succumb to addictions as parents themselves. The cycle continues from generation to generation.
Of course, Vance says "we" rather than "they" when he writes about these problems. He is the first to admit that the demons of his life continue to chase him despite his new station.
Even after you read the story of J.D. Vance you have to marvel at how he succeeded where so many others failed.
You see the small signs here and there in the book of things that made a difference along the way as he was growing up. The consistent support from his grandmother. A protective older sister. Religion. An interest in reading. A curiosity about exploring new things. Several supportive teachers. A job as a cashier in a local supermarket. Work at a country club.
A huge factor was his decision to forego college right after high school to enlist with the United States Marine Corps for a four-year hitch. He realized that he was not ready for the challenge of college at that time nor to take on the necessary student debt. Therefore, he gained added maturity, discipline and perspectives before he entered college at Ohio State University in addition to GI Bill benefits.
Choices do make a difference in people's lives. Vance made good choices.
From there it was on to Yale Law School and a world far, far removed from anything he ever thought possible. It truly was the difference between heaven and hell for the self-described Hillbilly.
When reading Hillbilly Elegy I could not keep from thinking about the similarities in this book to those of Barack Obama when he wrote Dreams from My Father shortly after he graduated from Harvard Law School.
In both cases you have young men in their early 30's writing memoirs. Both graduated from elite law schools. Both were products of broken homes. Both had no father and a largely absent mother in their lives. Both had grandmothers who stepped in to provide needed stability and support in their lives.
Who knows whether J.D.Vance will accomplish anything as extraordinary as Barack Obama did in being elected President of the United States.
However, he has already accomplished far, far more than most would ever dream of. In that respect, this is a a great story that demonstrates that the American Dream is still alive. Unfortunately, this story also shows that too many are also living an American Nightmare.
Vance struggles to provide the answers to solving the problems that he identifies. I can't fault him for that. Millions of people with good intentions and billions of dollars have also failed.
In the end, Vance suggests it is probably not the big government programs that matter the most but the small interactions from people that care that can make a difference. He quotes a friend who worked in the White House for a time and cares deeply for the plight of the working class.
The best way to look at this might be to recognize that you probably can't fix these things. They'll always be around. But maybe you can put your thumb on the scale a little for the people at the margins.
Vance admits that there were many thumbs on his scale from a range of people.
Think about that in 2017. Lend a hand (or thumb) when you can for someone who could use some help. It might make all the difference in the world for someone.
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