Book: Hillbilly Elegy
Author: JD Vance
Pages: 265
Date: 2/14/25
I chose this book because it was written by our current Vice President in 2016 and was later made into a movie (that I did not see). I am not from Kentucky, not a hillbilly and not someone of Scots-Irish descent, there are some elements of the book that correlated to my life. Although no one in my family did drugs, the divorces, death and constant struggle was present in my life when I grew up. I found it interesting that when J.D. Vance got married, his new wife & he also changed their last name to Vance – the last name of his maternal grandparents. When I grew up, we were particularly close to my maternal great-grandmother and grandmother.
1) First and foremost, I learned hat elegy is not the same as eulogy. There are several definitions of the former, but that one that I think fits for the purpose of this book is: a pensive or reflective poem that is nostalgic or melancholy.
2) I learned about the history of and gained a better understanding of the Scots-Irish heritage, how it closely aligns with the Appalachian geography from Alabama/Georgia through Pennsylvania and into New England. The people who live in the Tennessee/Kentucky/West Virginia areas are colloquially known as hillbillies. There was a net migration of these people into Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania & Illinois after WWII as a great number of employees were needed to work in the steel mills and other factories in the industrialized North.
3) This subculture is inward focused and looks down on or suspiciously towards “outsiders,” who are non-hillbillies. The people, especially during more current times, are plagued by high unemployment, high youth pregnancy, high divorce, low high school graduation, low college education, high drug use (opiods & heroin) and high alcoholism rates. Still, they are very defensive of their family members & their honor. Some people might use the phrase “White Trash” to describe them, but I am not sure about this. I will make my decision after I read a book entitled “White Trash,” which is a more academic description of this group using economics, charts & graphs (I have not yet seen the book).
4) According to economic studies, opportunities are not spread evenly throughout the US. It shows that poor kids in the South, Rust Belt and Appalachia struggle much more than kids from other areas of the US.
I learned the following from this book that will help me increase my prospects for success after prison:
1) Anyone can better their life if they really choose to do it and have the support network to keep them on track. JD Vance did it with the support of his maternal grandmother and by joining the Marines, which taught him basic life skills and allowed him to mature. Much like him, I will need a support group after prison. Fortunately, I have my OSU friends, LaLumiere parents friends, my wife & kids and my Glycerin Traders colleagues. Many of them are writing and emailing me in prison, are getting geared up to visit me in prison and I know will support me after prison. I am very fortunate in this regard.
2) I think it might also help to find a church that is more conducive to our lifestyle and religious approach and commit to going there regularly. I know that the Lutheran Church in LaPorte has a Saturday night service. It might be good to go there then so we can still do our Sunday brunch service with our friends like we normally do. I believe this will be a good approach and provide an additional support network.
3) JD Vance is recommending a change in government policy to help disadvantaged people from the South, Rust Belt and Appalachia. I agree with this. Likewise, I would recommend a change in policy for prisons – more mercy for first time offenders, more & better programming aggressively administered in prison with the carrot of getting out early if an inmate goes through the programming and a quicker release to lower security prisons/camps and halfway houses. Not only does this saves money, but it rewards inmates with good behavior and prevents them from becoming institutionalized. It is too late to have a program for me, but it should work for those who come after me.
