Far more than most I read, this book hit close to home, as it does for many people in the US, I expect. My own "hillbilly" relatives weren't nearly so much so as the figures described in this book, but many of the elements are certainly familiar, even to me. I was admittedly a couple of generations removed: this story applied far more to my great-grandparents and their children, many of whom struggled with the same challenges which haunted the author and his kin, seemingly for life. What I liked most about this book was not so much the descriptions of the atrocities and Vance's ability to "rise above" and escape his likely fate (a stint in the armed forces was a prime factor), one which befell most of his peers, including most of his close relatives, but the way in which I, and likely many readers, could relate and be grateful that we were able to break free from the cycle of poverty and deprivation.
The author's story is all too familiar: I sent a copy of this book to my father, who would likely appreciate it even more than me, as he was closer to the large extended family which made the trek from the south to the West Coast, but the trauma of their upbringing followed close behind them. Some made out very well, while others experienced a lifetime of the travails Vance describes, including addiction and abuse. My orphaned great-grandmother, for example, was married at age 13 to an 18-year-old, whose family she was living with. She had her first child shortly thereafter, but the baby, perhaps not surprisingly, didn't survive. A succession of nine other children followed, one of whom perished at age six, when, the day after Christmas, she was playing near a lighted stove, when her clothing caught fire. The family was summoned by her screams, but it was too late: she died of the severe burns later that same day, and was buried in an unmarked grave (as far as I can tell; I've walked the cemetery multiple times with no trace of a stone) in a poor country cemetery which is still located down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. The family was largely transient and landless, moving from place to place, a succession of children being born along the way, wherever they went.
The author's experience was somewhat different, in that his family owned property, a major factor in the way in which a person is perceived in this type of community: poverty is relative, and "landed" persons always enjoy far greater respect and prestige, however humble their holdings, than their landless peers who often had to rely far greater on the charity of others, often because they were unable to even grow their own food, an decided advantage enjoyed by those who had even a small parcel of property. The author alludes to this in the book, where he states that even if the house was falling down around their ears, a family's garden was usually ample; it had to be-it was a matter of survival.
Personally, I didn't focus as much on the racial aspect (i.e., the "poor white" community) as the poverty aspect of the book, and the difficulty the family had in negotiating the different environments in which they found themselves. They were transplants, to be sure, and even though many of their neighbors likewise emigrated in search of greater economic opportunity, the complex social network which made such a life tolerable if not enviable did not translate to the new towns and cities they inhabited, which the author explains was a primary reason for the difficulty they encountered and their failure to assimilate, which has important lessons for us today.
I'm sure the book was cathartic for the author, but I would like to have learned a bit more about the nature of the communities he describes, even though the personal narrative was quite moving. Looking at more of the phenomena associated with these communities, as well as the struggle impoverished, ill-educated and unsocialized outcasts experience when they attempt to relocate themselves may indeed help others, especially newly-arrived immigrants who often struggle to fit into communities which often likewise have difficulty accepting them.
The author's story is all too familiar: I sent a copy of this book to my father, who would likely appreciate it even more than me, as he was closer to the large extended family which made the trek from the south to the West Coast, but the trauma of their upbringing followed close behind them. Some made out very well, while others experienced a lifetime of the travails Vance describes, including addiction and abuse. My orphaned great-grandmother, for example, was married at age 13 to an 18-year-old, whose family she was living with. She had her first child shortly thereafter, but the baby, perhaps not surprisingly, didn't survive. A succession of nine other children followed, one of whom perished at age six, when, the day after Christmas, she was playing near a lighted stove, when her clothing caught fire. The family was summoned by her screams, but it was too late: she died of the severe burns later that same day, and was buried in an unmarked grave (as far as I can tell; I've walked the cemetery multiple times with no trace of a stone) in a poor country cemetery which is still located down a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. The family was largely transient and landless, moving from place to place, a succession of children being born along the way, wherever they went.
The author's experience was somewhat different, in that his family owned property, a major factor in the way in which a person is perceived in this type of community: poverty is relative, and "landed" persons always enjoy far greater respect and prestige, however humble their holdings, than their landless peers who often had to rely far greater on the charity of others, often because they were unable to even grow their own food, an decided advantage enjoyed by those who had even a small parcel of property. The author alludes to this in the book, where he states that even if the house was falling down around their ears, a family's garden was usually ample; it had to be-it was a matter of survival.
Personally, I didn't focus as much on the racial aspect (i.e., the "poor white" community) as the poverty aspect of the book, and the difficulty the family had in negotiating the different environments in which they found themselves. They were transplants, to be sure, and even though many of their neighbors likewise emigrated in search of greater economic opportunity, the complex social network which made such a life tolerable if not enviable did not translate to the new towns and cities they inhabited, which the author explains was a primary reason for the difficulty they encountered and their failure to assimilate, which has important lessons for us today.
I'm sure the book was cathartic for the author, but I would like to have learned a bit more about the nature of the communities he describes, even though the personal narrative was quite moving. Looking at more of the phenomena associated with these communities, as well as the struggle impoverished, ill-educated and unsocialized outcasts experience when they attempt to relocate themselves may indeed help others, especially newly-arrived immigrants who often struggle to fit into communities which often likewise have difficulty accepting them.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
