Hillbilly Elegy
J. D. Vance
5 mins
3 key insights
Visual, audio & text
Hillbilly Elegy is the inspiring autobiography of J.D. Vance who explains how his life began in poverty and turbulence, and what he had to do to beat those difficult circumstances and rise to success.
Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy
by J. D. Vance
Overview
When we talk about the American Dream, what comes to mind? Probably the story of someone coming from a disadvantaged situation, and working hard to pull themselves up out of poverty. If you work hard enough, you can achieve anything, right?
This dream is somewhat controversial because it isn't equally accessible to everyone, but Americans love this kind of story. Just look to Hollywood, and you will find countless movies featuring this storyline.
In Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, self-proclaimed hillbilly J.D. Vance tells his version of the American Dream. Born into a life of poverty, violence, and substance abuse in a rural town, he tells the story of how he managed to escape the cycle, and eventually land a job in Silicon Valley.
Favorite quote
What separates the successful from the unsuccessful are the expectations that they had for their own lives. Yet the message of the right is increasingly: It's not your fault that you're a loser; it's the government's fault.
- J.D. Vance
Download the uptime app to
Read or listen, with different modes
Adjust audio speed in the app
Bookmark to save titles for later
Share your favourite Hacks
View the full Hack with Uptime
