What book has prompted a good discussion in your book club? Rogue Book club (aka FLICKS) discussed Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance longer than most any other book we’ve read. It was a pretty lively discussion.
Hillbilly Elegy is a
memoir by J.D. Vance describing his childhood growing up in a dysfunctional
family in Ohio. After high school he
joined the Marines and afterwards made it into Yale Law School. This memoir describes his background, his family,
difficult times he had, and his thoughts on a variety of topics.
I thought where this
memoir really shined was when it described J.D. Vance’s personal story. His love
for his grandparents and troubled relationship with his mother were compelling
reading. When he started to just discuss
his thoughts about the world, it was not nearly as compelling. He made really general statements about
entire groups of people that I didn’t agree with from my experience. This was the consensus of our book club as well.
I also was confused on
the hillbilly aspect. I expected the
memoir to take place in Appalachia, instead the memoir takes place in
Ohio. J.D. Vance’s grandparents are from
Appalachia, but he and his parents grew up in Ohio. The problems faced when the main mill closed
down and caused unemployment, sounded like problems faced by any midwestern “rust
belt” town that has faced similar situations.
The drug problems and poverty also were very familiar to me growing up
in Michigan. I was struggling to
determine what exactly made someone a “hillbilly” and all I came up with is
that they swear and resort to violence more according to this memoir. A lot
of book club members weren’t sure why this life story was memoir worthy. I thought it was because it covers a section
of society that doesn’t often get covered in books.
I’m also still laughing
at one book club member’s assessment of this book “he was an unreliable
narrator in his own memoir.” Ha!!!
I have started the
Netflix movie, but have not watched it yet.
It looks like it changes some things and focuses on the story rather
than the opinions in the memoir. Have
you watched it? What do you think?
Favorite Quotes:
“Identity is an odd
thing, and I didn’t understand at the time why I felt such kinship with these
strangers.”
“They want us to be shepherds
to these kids. But no one wants to talk
about the fact that many of them are raised by wolves.”
“Nothing compares to the
fear that you’re becoming the monster in your closet.”
“How much of our lives,
good and bad, should we credit to our personal decisions, and how much is just the
inheritance of our culture, our families, and our parents who have failed their
children?”
Overall, Hillbilly Elegy
is a book that prompts a lot of discussion.
The story in the memoir was engaging, but also included a lot of
opinions that were less so.
Book Source: The Kewaunee Public Library. Thank-you!
I remember thinking the same thing about the book when I read it right after the 2016 election. I was really surprised they made it into a movie. I haven't seen it; I don't know if I will.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me! It is a book that I'm not really sure why they made into a movie . . .
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