Hillbilly Elegy

By J.D.Vance

This book became an overnight success when it was published. An autobiography of how the author managed to break away from an environment marked by poverty, lack of hope, the opioid epidemic, crime and poverty that marked some regions in the Appalachia and the Midwest. He does a superb job bringing each character to life and how he describes the environment.

Vance refused to conform to the common practice of blaming the system for its failure and is also critical of the damaging effects of certain government policies. Despite best intentions, more often than not they end doing more harm than good.

It was the author’s sheer attitude, will and determination that allowed him to shift away from the downward spiral to one of growth and success. He emphatically brings home the concept that we are all the result of the choices we make. I felt this book should be part of all High School reading lists.

The book reminded me of what I called the "Gutting of Industrial America" after a series of road trips I did during the Summer of 2018 in the region. Abandoned manufacturing operations, crumbling highways we see in many places around Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Upstate New York and Michigan