really poignant piece - says obvious common sense things that are somehow not deemed so in polite society - I reviewed Hillbilly Elegy and still consider it in my top 10. I grew up in small-town New Mexico, and experienced the melting pot first-hand. Natives, whites, blacks, Mexicans, Mestizos, half-breeds, Mulattos - we all lived together in poverty. Privilege was green. We hated rich people and cops - not skin colors. We banded together based on what we brought to the team, not we we wanted to take away from it.

amazon.com/Hillbilly-El… J.D. Vance

Published: 2016 Pages: 261

A completely different physical environment than one I grew up in but a completely similar emotional environment. The personalities, struggles, successes, and love of hope resonated with me. I grew up in a childhood with many of the same issues, although I lived hundreds of miles away from Kentucky and Ohio. It tells me that we all have the same demons and angels inside of us.

This book had a monumental effect on my psyche during this pandemic lock down. I read it in a day. I always knew intuitively that my childhood was not unique, but this book really drove that point home.

I do not understand the current criticism surrounding the movie made from the book. The amazon.com/Hillbilly-El… is that the author is blaming his kin for their station in life. I feel that is a shallow and lazy interpretation. I feel this way because I did in fact blame my kin for my station in life, and grew up to learn that families make choices, and those choices are not always perfect. But more times than not, those choices were between bad and worse, and family did the best they could with what they had. I didn’t know that until much later in life. This book validated that feeling for me.