知識不一定是力量， 但是學習總是好的！
Language is an exquisite art!
Hillbilly Elegy is a memoir written by J.D. Vance. The book was published in June 2016, and reached the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list shortly after. Mr. Vance is a lawyer with a venture capital investment firm in Silicon Valley. He got his J.D. degree from Yale Law School.
The book's narratives consist of his upbringing, history of his extended family, the culture and the value of a community that has been somehow overlooked and often only partially presented by mainstream media and press. J.D. Vance does not appear to be willing to act as a social proponent to speak up on behalf of his people but offers valuable insights about what is going on in that underprivileged community and why the culture is in crisis. The Wiki cites that Hillbilly is often a derogatory term for people who dwell in the rural and mountainous areas in the U.S., primarily in Appalachia. J.D. states that they are usually Scots-Irish descents.
The book starts off with the history of his maternal extended family. The first couple of chapters outline the culture of the hillbilly community the author was born into and very familiar with: a typical Hillbilly is fiercely loyal to his family, community and country; (In another chapter, the author stated that country is an important part of a hillbilly's identity). A hillbilly is culturally unsophisticated and lacks of ability of properly managing financials. A hillbilly is hot-headed and easily goes beyond legal boundary to resolve a dispute; Hillbilly immigrants from rural Appalachia to the industrialized Midwest of the U.S. had a hard time to assimilate. For example, middle-class housewives couldn't stand the flock of chickens raised by a hillbilly turned postman in his backyard.
Papaw and Mamaw (the way that hillbillies call their grand parents) were hillbillies. They migrated from Jackson, Kentucky to Middletown, OH, when the industrialization of the Midwest of the U.S. was in its full swing. Papaw was a drunk, and Mamaw was a non-drunk violent. They loved their three children, amongst Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lori managed to move upwards and build a better life. Bev, the author's mom, failed.
Bev was the smartest kid in her high school. She did not go to a college because she gave birth to Lindsay, J.D.'s half sister, a few days after graduation. She got an associate degree in nursing and became a licensed nurse when thereafter. All of J.D.'s problems seem to be caused by Bev. She is a drug addict. She frequented rehabilitation facilities. She is emotionally unstable and created a household with plenty of screaming, shouting, yelling and insulting for her two children. She is occasionally violent and abusive. She threatened to kill J.D.. As a result, she was arrested by the police in front of her children. Above all, she engaged in short lived relationships with multiple men, including J.D.'s father. None of these men were abusive, some of them were very nice with J.D.. However, whenever J.D. developed attachment with one step father, he would eventually disappear and be replaced by another man. Lack of long lasting father figure is the most painful experience of all the pains J.D. endured as a child and teenager.
Mamaw and Papaw provided with J.D. a shelter. Mamaw is the heroine in the book. She offered food, house, care and protection to J.D. whenever there was such a need; She taught J.D. how to fight with a school bully; She encouraged him to study hard and work hard; She funded Bev's rehab. At the age of 70+, she took J.D. to her house without complain, because J.D. could not live with Bev's another husband any more.
Unable to figure out how to fund college, J.D. joined the Marine Corps upon graduation of high school. The three year experience in the Marine was extremely valuable and rewarding. J.D. learned to be responsible, healthy, financially smart, and organized. After the Marine Corps, J.D. got two majors from the Ohio State University within two years, and got into Yale Law School shortly after. Unfortunately, neither Papaw nor Mamaw witnessed the grandson's accomplishment. They passed away.
To me, J.D. revealed multiple layers of crisis in the underprivileged hillbilly community, or even nationwide:
1. Crisis of religion. As opposed to the stereotype, white working poor or non-working poor do not go to church. They are faithful Christians but they do not believe in church.
2. Crisis of institutions. Mamaw hated politicians. Mamaw also hated social welfare. The major institutions offered very little help, if not at all. Yale law school was the most prestigious and the cheapest among all the law schools that admitted J.D.. Ironically, neither J.D. nor any his peers had previously ever been aware of the generosity of the Ivy League schools. In other words, the Ivy League schools' goodwill had not reached to whom needed that goodwill the most.
3. Crisis of community and household. Bev is not alone. The entire neighborhood and hillbilly community are ruined by drugs, alcohol, violence, financial stupidity and mismanaged relationships. J.D. was very fortunate to have Mamaw and Lindsay who protected his little brother as much as possible. How about other kids with no support at all?
4. Crisis of culture. J.D. felt for hillbillies. Jackson, a small town in decline in rural Kentucky, serves as the strongest stimulus of his nostalgia. However, he sharply criticized the hillbilly's poor work ethics, ignorance, learned helplessness, and withdrawal from the modern world.
J.D.'s narratives resonate with me. As human beings, we all want a better life. Some of us do not know how to achieve, and the others may be unable to overcome their own weaknesses that undermine their dreams. J.D. admitted he harbored hatred toward his mom and his life. He pointed out that President Obama's success made him even more desperate. Doesn't President Obama have everything we ordinary people don't have? He is handsome, healthy, able to speak like an elite and has two degrees from the Ivy League. What can an ordinary hillbily realize his American dream?
J.D. has no solutions for his people.
P.S. Even though J.D. emphasized on his grand parents' love and support, I have no doubt his raw capabilities eventually led him to where he is now. I can't believe anyone with only Cs and Ds in a mediocre high school can double major within two years in a renowned university.
