Everybody Lives Near Appalachia

Abstract

Hillbilly Elegy has had a profound impact on contemporary views and opinions of Appalachia. In this review, the authors discuss this impact and provide key critiques that help readers make sense of the generalizations made in the book by placing Hillbilly Elegy in conversation with other contemporary Appalachian scholarship. The authors conclude that J. D. Vance has a right to tell his story but telling the story of the Appalachian people is more complex and nuanced than Vance acknowledges, and the authors caution readers to consider this when reading Hillbilly Elegy.