Hillbilly Elegy
A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
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Hillbilly Elegy
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Narrated by:
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J. D. Vance
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By:
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J. D. Vance
About this listen
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER / OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD
THE AMERICAN VICE PRESIDENT'S ORIGIN STORY
‘Essential reading for this moment in history’ New York Times
'You will not read a more important book about America this year' Economist
‘Brilliant … offers an acute insight into the reasons voters have put their trust in Trump’ Observer
J. D. Vance grew up in the hills of Kentucky. His family and friends were the people most of the world calls rednecks, hillbillies or white trash.
In this deeply moving memoir, Vance tells the story of his family’s demons and of America’s problem with generational neglect. How his mother struggled against, but never fully escaped, the legacies of abuse, alcoholism, poverty and trauma. How his grandparents, ‘dirt poor and in love’, gave everything for their children to chase the American dream. How Vance beat the odds to graduate from Yale Law School. And how America came to abandon and then condescend to its white working classes, until they reached breaking point.
‘A beautiful memoir but it is equally a work of cultural criticism about white working-class America … Vance offers a compelling explanation for why it’s so hard for someone who grew up the way he did to make it … a riveting book’ Wall Street Journal
** Now a major-motion picture directed by Ron Howard and starring Amy Adams, Glenn Close, and Gabriel Basso **
©2016 J. D. Vance (P)2016 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Hillbilly Elegy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-04-19
Explained a lot about the rust belt in America.
No problem getting this book read...was facinated from beginning to the end. Explains life for the struggling middle white Americans through a very understable journey. JDVance carries us through each element of Hillbilly life from a micro and macro perspective. Read this and you will understand why the all American dream isnt available to everyone.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alan Mcmillan
- 02-08-24
Working-class hero opportunity missed
This was a surprisingly good listen. If he were a man of principle there is much he could look to do for society in the U.S.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 14-08-24
Honestly . So interesting years before nomination as VP
Fascinating insight into self-reliance and determination.and hard work. Let’s see how he brings his personal experience to improve things for people of a similar background if he becomes VP.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Michael Riley
- 15-08-24
His resilience
Vance’s story should inspire everyone to persevere and show resilience to achieve our goals in life.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Catherine Hamilton
- 24-07-24
He doesn't sound like he would overthrow western liberal democracy.
Seems like quite a nice man actually. More in common with Obama than Trump. Well, we'll see soon enough.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Jean
- 15-09-24
Really interesting
Listening in September 2024 as Vance has been nominated as Trump’s running mate. I found this really interesting as an insight into a part of America about which I know very little. I was shocked at the violence, poverty and drug/drink abuse. I found myself not so interested in Vance but in want his story told me about an aspect of America that I didn’t know.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- dami
- 02-02-25
Excellent read
JD is just impressive and relatable. He perfectly embodies hard work, social mobility and humility!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JHJ
- 05-02-25
very honest and interesting
As a Brit, I only came across JDV during the recent US election. I found him impressive is his measured control and thoughtful, well-informed responses, even under intense provication - unlike the vast majority of politicians. So, unusually for me, I went for his autobiographical memoir/analysis. I found the whole thing refreshingly honest and immensely interesting on a personal and political level. Will he be the next POTUS? I REALLY hope so.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mumofboys
- 02-04-25
Curious Brit
As a Brit I was interested in this book due to the recent changes in Americas politics.This is the first ever memoire I have listened to.
I was pleasantly suprised. I found it very interesting and inspiring.
It certainly made me think about some aspects of my life.
A very enjoyable listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rui Ribeiro
- 08-12-19
Surprisingly addictive and interesting
I had seen the book reviews and the book didn't turn our exactly as I expected. With each chapter ending, i found myself eager to start the next and although I am not very much into personal memoirs, this wasn't a factor with this book, which is a credit to the author and the book.
The book narrates the childhood of the author and it's a good depiction of many of the difficulties faced in may families in the US rust belt. The book is not so much about self bragging but about how the author managed to get out of a vicious circle of low opportunities, drugs and alcohol and terrible parenting, to become an Ivy League graduate (as some other similar books end up being), but is almost a bit distant description of what happened and how important the author's grandmother was in allowing him to break that vicious circle. In its clear and vivid description of his early years, there are important lessons that can be drawn to drive public policies to provide more ways out of similar vicious cycles that end up in lack of opportunities and lives miserably wasted and lost in rural America.
Highly recommended.
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2 people found this helpful