Hillbilly Elegy, by J. D. Vance

NOTE: My book groups are not able to meet this month, March 2020, due to COVID-19.   Hopefully you can make good use of this time in social isolation to read!

People

J. D. Vance – author Usha – wife Lindsey – sister, husband Kevin, son Kameron Mamaw and Papaw – Jim Vance and Bonnie Blanton Children – Jimmy, Bev (author’s mother), Lori (“Aunt Wee,” husband Dan) Bev’s husbands: Dan Bowman – 2nd (J.D.’s father) Bob Hamel – 3rd (adopted J. D.) Ken – 4th

For Discussion:

NOTE: Page numbers are from the paperback edition.

1.       This book was a combination of memoir and sociology textbook.  Discuss the following ideas or observations presented:

a.       “Social class in America isn’t just about money” (page 63).  The relationships Bev had with her husbands was often the norm in their social class.

b.       When working as a store cashier, the author observed that, “The more harried a customer, the more they purchased precooked or frozen food, the more likely they were to be poor.” (page 138).

c.       Emotional poverty (page 143) – unable to deal with difficulties in life without complete melt down

d.       Similarities between the black and the hillbilly experiences (page 144)

e.       Irrational behaviors such as excessive spending beyond money limits, homes a “chaotic mess,” don’t encourage education, don’t provide an environment conducive to learning, make choice not to work when should be seeking a job, never model responsibility, and poor eating and exercise habits (pages 146-148).

f.        The effect of “group belief” on the success of individuals.  The author wrote, “If you believe that hard work pays off, then you work hard; if you think it’s hard to get ahead even when you try, then why try at all?” (page 193).

g.       Social capital – economic value in people and institutions in people’s lives (page 214).

h.       When J. D. and Yale friends when out to eat and left a mess at the table, only J. D. and another student (also poor) stayed behind to clean up instead of leaving it for someone else (page 203).  Why?

2.       The author felt that to change young people’s lives, one thing that needs to be addressed is the importance of what happens in the home (page 245).  How can public policy address that issue?

3.       How were the author, Lindsey and Aunt Lori able to break the chain of violent marriages?

4.       The author identified only a few people who made a difference in his success (Mamaw and Yale Professor Amy Chua, for example).   Who encouraged you in your life or made a difference in your life’s path?

5.       Did reading this book give you any insights into people or society that you had not considered before?  If so, what?