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For those interested in Hillbilly Elegy or JD Vance, a book rec


saraha
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I read JD Vance's book Hillbilly Elegy when it was first published. I didn't grow up in Appalachia, my dad was a Detroit GM man through and through, but I am raising my kids at the edge of Appalachia on the same road my dh grew up on, a mile from the farm on which he and his dad before him was raised. I went to college in the heart of Appalachia, where I met dh. So I was interested in the topic.

I have mixed feelings about the book, and haven't seen the movie yet, though I plan to.

I just finished Hill Women by Cassie Chambers, which is very similar in theme to Hillbilly Elegy , a kind of biography, and peek into Appalachian culture.

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Has anyone watched the movie yet?  After it premiered an Ohio bookstore did an event called "Don't Cry for me JD Vance" that was featured on public radio. The organizers were trying to get other Appalachian voices out there as interest in the subject jumped because of the movie.

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9 minutes ago, saraha said:

Has anyone watched the movie yet?  After it premiered an Ohio bookstore did an event called "Don't Cry for me JD Vance" that was featured on public radio. The organizers were trying to get other Appalachian voices out there as interest in the subject jumped because of the movie.

I watched the movie.  And I read the book when it first came out.  My dh has roots in that area so it was interesting.....the book, that is.  I did not like the movie.  The book is a bit fuzzy in my memory but I thought along with his personal story he spoke a lot on why people make certain choices, policy, privilege, etc....  The movie was just his story and IMO not well done.  I am curious what others thought.

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3 minutes ago, Seasider too said:

I am afraid to see the movie! The book was fascinating to me, as one of my aunts married into that culture and reading the book gave me a lot of aha moments. I can see how the movie could easily take a totally, probably less meaningful tangent than the book. 

saraha, thanks for the Hill Women book rec, I will request it from the library. 

I think you will definitely like Hill Women if you found Hillbilly interesting. Her family dynamics were different than Vance's in some key ways, and more like people I know/went to college with in real life. Not that I don't know people who grew up in families like Vance's though

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Another addition to your Appachian history library should be Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll.  This takes a historical perspective, from the colonial era, of the people who are consistently behind the eight ball in life.  

I grew up in Iowa, so I wondered why the people of Appalachia had life so different from the people around me growing up.  Rather than blaming the people of Kentucky and Pennsylvania and so on for their circumstances, Stoll gets at what makes their situation so different.  

I should warn you that the author actually begins his story in England with the Enclosure Acts of the 1600s, so if that seems weird, stick with it.  It will all make sense in the end.  

Edit:  fixed the link!  

Edited by daijobu
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Thanks for this. My paternal relatives come from Appalachia and I have wonderful memories of visiting my great grandparents in Kentucky as a young child. I still remember when, in the 1970's, they finally got an indoor bathroom! My family name is one you'll see all over the area in E Kentucky, but many of my relatives left the area to travel north for factory jobs. Some of the stereotypes are true, but there are many proud, hardworking people with an amazing culture and close knit families.

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14 hours ago, popmom said:

Have you read Gap Creek? It's about late 19th century Appalachia. I won't lie--it's not a fun read. Heartbreaking at times but beautiful. The author is Robert Morgan.

I did, years ago. I agree with you

11 hours ago, Thatboyofmine said:

The book was great, but I'm a little apprehensive about watching the movie.   I think I have the other book you mentioned in my Amazon library, so I need to pull it up.   My family is from Appalachia NC and while some of it rang true, my family was bound and determined to go beyond what was expected there.  Owning a business, college degree that led to a major position, etc.   I'm incredibly proud of my family roots.  

Her story has parallels to Vance's, but her experiences were more like my dh than Vance's

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11 hours ago, daijobu said:

Another addition to your Appachian history library should be Ramp Hollow: The Ordeal of Appalachia by Steven Stoll.  This takes a historical perspective, from the colonial era, of the people who are consistently behind the eight ball in life.  

I grew up in Iowa, so I wondered why the people of Appalachia had life so different from the people around me growing up.  Rather than blaming the people of Kentucky and Pennsylvania and so on for their circumstances, Stoll gets at what makes their situation so different.  

I should warn you that the author actually begins his story in England with the Enclosure Acts of the 1600s, so if that seems weird, stick with it.  It will all make sense in the end.  

Edit:  fixed the link!  

Ordered, thanks!

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