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Hillbilly Elegy

a Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Jan 15, 2019bhg0010 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
It's quite difficult to come up with something new to say about a book to which a great deal has already been written. In short, what sets the book apart is its empathy and its humility. The deeply moving account of growing up in poor Appalachia spares no detail in showing how truly awful 'hillbilly culture' is in destroying the inner lives of its people. At the same time, the author clearly understands the broader socio-economic forces and play, lamenting the death of small town America due to automation and globalization. The book has few in the way of answers, but it asks important questions that Americans need to grapple with.