JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ rings true

The story of America is the story of ordinary people stepping up to do amazing things.  This is the story of JD Vance as told in “Hillbilly Elegy.”

The story of America is the story of ordinary people stepping up to do amazing things. This is the story of JD Vance as told in “Hillbilly Elegy.” I admire Mr. Vance’s love of his ancestors and of the culture he grew up in. And while his love of “hillbilly culture” will be laughed at by the New York Times and Washington Post editorial boards, his love of country and community will inspire many hopefully to become better people.  

Mr. Vance talks from the age of 31 about how Appalachian culture is in trouble. And about how the concept of young people wanting to work and being able to find a job they’re qualified for is becoming more and more difficult. He tells this story at first through a laborer who moved tiles.  

Mr. Vance wrote this book before he ran for the U.S. Senate, and that fact is rather obvious. He refers to certain types of persons as welfare queens. He uses the term “hillbilly” as a term of respect, not as a term of derision that we are used to hearing. Mr. Vance talks about how lucky he was to have scrambled eggs and fried bologna sandwiches, and how he and his “hillbilly friends” felt thankful that it wasn’t worse.  

My ancestors (John McClung Houston and his wife Mary) left Ulster, Ireland, in the early 1740s, and during their trek to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, found out that the captain taking them over was likely to kill everyone on the ship and steal their money. JMH and his 80-year-old mother led a revolt on the ship and navigated the ship to Pennsylvania. They, like many Scots Irish patriots of the time, took the great trek west, and turned left/south at the Appalachian mountains, and ended up being among the first settlers in what is now Rockbridge County.  The church they founded still exists (New Providence Church), and JMH’s descendants (aka my cousins) rest in the New Providence Church cemetery. Recently I visited where they sleep, and am reminded about how Mr. Vance, during his convention speech, talked about how lucky he would be to be buried with his ancestors.  

JD Vance is an ordinary guy, who came from good stock, but was never expected to accomplish much. His mother was an addict, as were many of Vance’s family. Where JD talks about Mountain Dew Mouth from meth use, JD’s mother was more likely an abuser of prescription drugs, her being a nurse. 

JD Vance’s people have been forgotten by the ruling political class. They have been harmed by bad trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, which, while helping many people’s stock portfolios, harmed many industrial manufacturers in Virginia, North Carolina, and also in Middletown, Ohio, where Mr. Vance hails from.  

This is a tough book for many. If you are easily bothered, then this will be a tough read. JD’s childhood was tough. Dad abandoned the family at an early age. Mom Beverly had a revolving door of husbands coming in and out of her and JD’s life. JD was lucky in that his grandmother took care of him and was a stable force in his life. JD was removed from Beverly’s care after she nearly killed him in a road rage incident.  

For those of us who feel a sense of community from our ancestors, and love of country, commonwealth, and community, then you will be inspired by “Hillbilly Elegy.” Again, the story of America is the story of ordinary people who do amazing things. My story starts with JMH named above. If we don’t have JMH taking over the ship that he came over on, then none of us would have ever heard the name Sam Houston, who was a descendent of JMH. Aka we may not have the state of Texas. Again it is people who do amazing things. “Hillbilly Elegy” is the story of how JD Vance’s “mamaw,” Bonnie Blanton Vance, did her best to save her grandson from a horrible situation. And now how a “hillbilly” raised in Middletown, Ohio, who ended up at Yale Law School will help to save the world if elected vice president.  

Each of us whose ancestors came here of their own volition can find inspiration in this story. Those of us whose ancestors did not come here under their own power can find comfort in the same. That with love of family, love of community, and the help of Divine Providence, anyone can raise themselves from humble beginnings and be the best that they can be.