Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance shows the difficulties that those who live in Appalachia face on a daily basis in some way. These struggles could be ones you are personally facing, or they could be struggles that someone you know or love is facing. Some of the struggles discussed in this book may even seem foreign to people who don't live in Appalachia. The author's goal or reason for writing Hillbilly Elegy was to chronicle the hardships that the average resident of Appalachia goes through. In many regions of the country and the world, however, people do not have to worry about growing up more likely to be poor, more likely for themselves or a family member to become addicted to drugs, or more likely to have poor instruction. All of these factors play into daily life in Appalachia. Whether it's finding a job, getting into college, wanting a house or a specific car, these factors that come with living in Appalachia play a role in many aspects of life. I believe the ultimate goal of this book was to provide a better insight into the people of Appalachia and how they are just like everyone else: they want and fight for a chance to make something of themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In providing examples of life in Appalachia, the author used many different sources. He used his personal life, he used statistics at one point when it came to church attendance in Appalachia versus the Midwest, and sometimes the resource he used was his own inference about how he perceives people outside of Appalachia regarding Appalachia and the territory yes. The sources used by the author were accurate, but sometimes seemed a little too biased. For example, he sometimes mentioned his terrible home life with his mother and how he eventually got out of it and moved on to bigger and better things like the military and college. While this is a nice anecdote, it doesn't apply to most people in his situation. Many people who grow up in a bad home lead a bad life themselves. If they grew up in an abusive home, they often grow up abusive. If they grow up in a home with a drug addict, they often grow up abusing drugs as they get older. The whole idea of ​​a hillbilly life is complicated even though it may seem simple to people who don't have to experience it. To say there is little bias in Hillbilly Elegy would be an understatement. I feel like most of the book is biased. That doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing though. Vance's goal was to write about his life growing up in Appalachia. His purpose in writing the book was to touch on the idea that regardless of your statistical disadvantage, you can achieve the unthinkable. While I wholeheartedly believe in this “determination will get you anywhere” idea, I also realize that there are some people in certain situations who literally can't get out of their bad situation. For example, a citizen of North Korea grows up under a dictator. No matter how bad their life is, they can only wait for the government to do something about it. They do not have the freedom to attend a good university and receive an education that helps them improve themselves. Not to say the education system is broken, but Vance came out of Appalachia and went to Ohio State and then Yale. Growing up in North Korea, you can't do that. A form of prejudice (and what seemed to be a bit of cockiness) that I found interestingwas when Vance writes “Why No One Else From My High School Got to the Ivy League” (Vance, 2016, p. 207). This seems like an arrogant and very biased statement due to the fact that many people can say that no one from their high school went to an Ivy League school. The Ivy League is not easily attainable for any social class. Yes, upperclassmen have access to better education, but they still have to prove their academic abilities like the rest of the applicants. However, the text does some really great things. I was born here in West Virginia and Vance talks about a lot of things I've seen in my life. He talks about his home life when he was little. His mother and father fought (sometimes physically), his mother was a drug addict, he never had an official father figure, and at times he had to work things out on his own. These are scenarios that make for a depressing story, but these things happen every day. Not just in Appalachia, but around the world. The problems we face here in Appalachia are problems everywhere. Vance is good at showing how, precisely because he grew up in a bad situation, he hasn't let anything hold him back throughout his life so far. Something this book is good for is motivation. Vance's story motivates you to get out of your bad situation and make something of yourself. An example of this is on page 197 when he talks about applying to colleges and he didn't apply to Yale, Harvard, or Stanford at first. Then he talks to his friend Darrel who has a friend from law school who waits tables. That's when Vance decides to "try Yale and Harvard." The theme of upward mobility in this text is what gives us the most hope. In the introduction, Vance explains that he graduated from Yale Law School, left the problems of poverty, and eventually became successful (LitCharts, 2019). He also talks about how people in Appalachia have low social mobility. The poverty rate is high, the dependency rate is high, and there is a false belief that people in Appalachia work harder than people from outside the region. Despite all these negatives, Vance found a way to get away from his mother, live with Mamaw, and focus on school. He later joined the army. He later went to Ohio State and then Yale. All of these factors combined led him to achieve upward mobility and helped him become a stronger person. Sociology says you are a product of your environment. I believe this is true. Yes, the environment Vance grew up in was negative, but his environment is also what made him the man he is today. His environment taught him that no matter how hard life is, you always have a chance if you put in the work. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, Hillbilly Elegy is a book about the troubles of growing up in Appalachia. There are a lot of negatives in the book about Appalachia as a whole, but Vance brings things to the positive when he talks about all the little things that made him who he is today. Vance's story is just one example of the possibility of upward mobility. If you can see it, you can achieve it and memoirs like this show millions that you can achieve anything you set your mind to as long as you are willing to put in the right amount of effort. Works Cited: Brooks, K. ( 2011). The parents in the show set a bad example. Age.Critchley, C. (2011). The winner of all, a child. Herald Sun.Eder, R., Harrington, E.F., & Skowronski, J.J. (1997). Is winning a competition worth a lost childhood? Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2(1), 88-93. Mann, J. (1997). Beauty contests, 12(3), 237-248.