Thoughts on Hillbilly Elegy

This was a super profound book. Been thinking about reading it ever since Trump won the election, since I‘ve heard many people recommend it. After a 30-hour audio book in the Fountainhead (still hoping to write about that one soon — it was crazy), I found the 6.5 hour listen of this book fly by.

First thing I’ll say is to read it.

Second thing I’ll talk about is what it revealed to me.

Empathy

This one is really big. In the book, Vance talks about how he barely even remembered various years during school. He was dealing with an addict as a mom along with some other craziness. To expect him to be able to go to class and pay attention, especially when it meant very little to him, doesn’t make much sense.

I have found myself falling fallacy to this idea that if we fix the way that schools work and are run, we’ll help everyone find fulfillment and fix opportunity issues. The matter of fact is, though, that the home circumstances for some people are so intense that it might not matter what’s happening within the class.

On a more micro scale, it goes to show that you never know what’s happening with other people. That goes beyond low-income school districts, but is something easy to forget. Walking in others’ shoes and empathizing is a skill and exercise that should be constantly considered and practiced.

Having a good role model or example is monumental

This is another one that’s intuitive and something we hear a lot, but often lose the importance of. There are some pretty fascinating stories about how different communities began to thrive in one niche area due to someone famous coming out of that area. The ones that come to mind are of the countries with a famous athlete, but it can be a lot lower in scale as well. Even on college campuses, having alumni that have recently emerged with successful companies can be a big mover for successful projects.

In the case of Hillbilly Elegy, the role model can be even more broad. From a really good teacher, to one person in the area that went to a good college, to a strong father figure. Vance talks a bit about how there was this preconceived notion that nobody in their town could escape and make something better of themselves, so there was no point in even trying. Having those people to look at, though, that are coming from the same situation and can demonstrate that they are just like the youth but were able to make it can have a monumental impact.

We need a better way to prep people for unaccustomed situations

I think this is a pretty big one. He talks about how difficult it was navigating the interview process, dinners, and networking when he was at Yale Law School. Vance had never sat down for a nice meal with multiple utensils or tried different types of white wine. There are things that many (often including myself) take for granted in the social mobility and influence ladder.

Even if society can get more students from low-income areas to top universities, for example, the process in which those students adapt and learn about the lifestyle as well as what it takes to network & use social capital &resources in a beneficial way is crucial. Otherwise, they might get left behind and and the original efforts can be lost.

We’re so used to things like vouching for ourselves with our teachers, or leveraging an alumni association to help us land a job that we forget that others haven’t ever known how to do those things.

The white working class

I knew nothing about the white working class, despite how large of a percent they make up in our country. This book sheds great light into that lifestyle and culture, which was very different and unexpected while also fascinating.

Overall, the book gave me more empathy and a better perspective of others in our country. Something that was profound and humbling.

Thoughts on this review/the book in general? Comment or send me a note :)

Full reading list here