I recently read Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance.
The older I’m getting, the more I want to learn about others. Other communities, other places, other races, other folks who have a different narrative than I do.
For how boring would life be if we were all the same?
J.D. Vance is a former marine and Yale Law School graduate, and this is his story. A story about growing up in the Rust Belt. A story that goes beyond white versus black and thus versus them and rich versus poor.
Cause the thing is, life cannot be boiled down to categories. We are all more than one thing, and our stories are multifaceted. Our stories have more than one protagonist and antagonist and there are myriad of circumstances that anyone can be thrust into – and those circumstances that very often direct the course of a life.
But does it have to be that way?
I don’t know.
I’d like to think not.
And I think, J.D. would agree.
This is a story about a poor kid. A dirt poor kid. Who was dealt a shitty hand, and yet, he managed to rise above it all.
It’s rather inspiring.
It’s rather eye opening.
It doesn’t place blame.
It’s doesn’t pit people against one another.
It’s simply the story of one families struggles. One families pain. One families journey through this crazy life that we’re all one.
Reading this book is an opportunity to take yourself on a journey to Appalachia, and forgo the stereotypes and your preconceived notions and learn about the people of this area who have lived there, who have loved there, and who have grown there.
I’d give it a read if I were you. Get your own copy here.
Live, Love, Learn,