‘Hillbilly Elegy’ Remains Relevant

Naturally, with Hillbilly Elegy author J.D. Vance’s nomination for vice president, his 2016 bestseller is getting renewed ink.

The boost will send sales (1.6 million copies to date) higher, with the paperback hitting #1 on Amazon the day after Vance’s July 15 nomination.

Allen Salkin, an author and co-owner of a podcast production company, said he wouldn’t be surprised if Vance outsells famed novelist Stephen King this year. Publisher Harper Collins is “playing with house money now, the best possible position to profit more,” Salkin told MarketWatch.

In recent weeks, I have noticed several news stories incorrectly labeling Senator Vance a native of Middletown, Ohio.

I know they are in error because I read Hillbilly Elegy soon after its release. In it, he wrote of being a native of Breathitt County in southeastern Kentucky. (The county claims him too, as evidenced by this mid-July story.)

Being a stickler for details, I felt it worth noting that while Vance spent many of his formative years in southern Ohio, he frequently shuttled between family members there and Kentucky.

I had a bit of a personal interest in learning more about Vance. I have been to Middletown several times over the years, after growing up about two hours to the north. And currently, I live about 100 miles northeast of his homeplace.

Bloody Breathitt

Just before picking up Hillbilly Elegy, I learned about his home county’s unsavory reputation. It’s chronicled in Bloody Breathitt, released the year before Vance’s book.

Written by a college professor, Bloody Breathitt delves into the many murders that took place in the county’s 500 square miles in the last three-plus decades of the 19th century. Author T.R.C. Hutton details how many of the so-called family feud killings there were in fact politically motivated.

Given this history, when I heard initially that Vance’s book painted a gloomy portrayal of Appalachia, I sighed. I wondered when our region would also become known for some of its positive traits.

Still, as word-of-mouth advertising spread, I decided to pick up a copy. I was surprised at its richness and depth and the implications of its Horatio-Alger-type tale.

Vance overcame tremendous odds to rise to prominence. The chaos, drug abuse, divorce and other dysfunction sprinkled through his background give anyone from seemingly hopeless circumstances a reason to dream of a better day.

Not only did his book spark a 2020 film version on Netflix, it gave Vance a national platform, one that could eventually elevate him to the White House.

While the book has generated praise and condemnation alike, one comment in it that stuck with me was Vance’s observation that well-meaning legislators should leave payday loan companies alone.

After all, he said, payday loans are how many in the lower class keep up with their bills as they juggle resources to make it to the end of the month.

Telling their Story

This isn’t a whole-hearted endorsement. As the grandson of a Ukrainian immigrant, I especially dislike his stance against aiding Ukraine’s war against Russia.

Still, his story is worth sharing. In a 2016 interview with the Wall Street Journal, Vance commented that his book’s popularity spoke to a couple things.

Not only were people curious about the frustration and anger of the white working class, members of this class were anxious to have someone tell their story, Vance said.

Indeed, we folks who live in what is often called “flyover country” find inspiration in someone like Vance succeeding.

Now that he has shared a story common to millions, it will be interesting to see what implications that has for the nation’s future.