Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance

About the book: In this internationally bestselling memoir and passionate analysis of a culture in crisis, Hillbilly-born Yale Law graduate J D Vance takes a probing look at America's white working class through his own experiences growing up.

The book tells a true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. As his family's saga plays out, the book shows how J D's grandparents, aunt, sister and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty and trauma.

Writing with piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history. 

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016) is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American Dream for a large segment of the population. It is unmissable reading in these times of political upheaval. It was adapted into the 2020 Netflix movie Hillbilly Elegy, directed by Ron Howard and starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. The book reached the top of The New York Times best seller list in August 2016 and January 2017. In 2017, Vance signed a $8 million deal to write a sequel to Hillbilly Elegy. (Source: Wikipedia)

After Vance was announced as Trump's running mate in 2024, sales of the book and viewership for the film on Netflix increased dramatically. In July 2024, the book was censored in China on WeChat. (Source: Wikipedia)

About the author: J D Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, a once flourishing American manufacturing town where Ohioans could live content, middle-class lives on single incomes. Over time, many of those good jobs disappeared, and J D’s family suffered the effects along with many others.

Turbulence was common at home and at school. His grandmother, called Mamaw, was his saving grace. Her tough love and discipline kept him on the straight and narrow. A “blue dog” Democrat, she owned 19 handguns and nurtured a deep Christian faith in herself and her family. She died in 2005, shortly after J D enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.

J D went on to serve our nation in the Iraq War, then graduated from The Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He was elected to the United States Senate representing Ohio in 2022. In 2024, he became the Republican nominee for Vice President. Vance lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his family. He also started a business dedicated to growing jobs and opportunity in the American heartland. (Source: vance.senate.gov)