Hillbilly Elegy (2020 Edition)

About This Novel

In American society, people often use terms such as "hillbilly" to describe white blue-collar workers struggling to survive in difficult circumstances. "What is more terrifying than poverty is the loss of hope" is the most serious problem faced by this group. In "Hillbilly Elegy," J. D. Vance provides a true account of the effects of social, regional, and class decline on those who are born into it. Vance's maternal grandparents moved north from the Appalachian region of Kentucky to Ohio, hoping to escape the horrific poverty. They worked their way into the middle class, culminating in their grandchildren graduating from Yale Law School, a traditional sign of successful generational upward mobility. As the family story slowly unfolds, we discover that Vance's grandparents, aunts, uncles, sisters, and, most importantly, his mother, all struggled to adapt to the demands of middle-class life without ever fully escaping drug abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma. Vance grew up in such a chaotic and heartbreaking environment, but it was the love and loyalty of these "rednecks" that made him what he is today. Taken together, there are only a handful of cases like the author's that have successfully escaped poverty. The majority of white blue-collar Americans are still unable to get rid of hereditary poverty and hardship, as if it is an innate shackle that is firmly around their necks. What is the reason that prevents them from finding a suitable way out in the United States, a country that prides itself on freedom? "Hillbilly Elegy" is an extremely moving memoir that contains vivid characters and many humorous elements. It records what it is like for a generation to be upwardly mobile, and also reflects on the phenomenon of a large number of people losing the American dream. This book is also a profound social commentary. Through the author's growth story and experience, from the perspective of an "insider", it leads us to have a more macro perspective and deeply explore the difficulties and crises faced by the American blue-collar class.

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