J.D. Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy' - Discussion Questions

(1984 - Present)

1.Vance talks about his fellow hillbillies’ good traits – an intense sense of loyalty, a fierce dedication to family and country – and their bad ones: their insularity and hostility to the unfamiliar. Discuss these qualities as revealed through various instances in this book.

2. Vance’s extended family is a quirky and somewhat alarming group of people. Talk about his experiences in Jackson, and how his clan influenced him. How does his perception alter as he matures?

3. My grandparents – Mamaw and Papaw – were without question or qualification, the best things that ever happened to me.

Mamaw and Papaw may have failed Bev in her youth. But they spent the rest of their lives making up for it.

Mamaw and Papaw as Parents vs. Mamaw and Papaw as Grandparents – Discuss.

4. What were the difficulties Mamaw and Papaw experienced in adapting to their new life in Middletown?

5. Discuss how the fortunes of Middletown, OH mirrored the rise and decline of Armco. Talk about the ingrained attitudes towards Luck, Brains, and Hard Work.

6. Talk about J.D.’s childhood – his relationship with his dad, the absence of reliable father figures, and the turmoil created by Bev.

7. Mamaw and J.D.’s father had very different approaches to religion. How did they influence his own faith?

8. How did Papaw’s death affect the family? In what way did their life change with his passing?

9. Discuss the turbulent years of J.D.’s adolescence; the period when he was shunted between three households – his Mom’s, his Dad’s, and Mamaw’s.

10. Talk about J.D.’s growing closeness to Mamaw during his high school years, and the enduring influence the relationship had on him.

11. Joining the Marine Corps quite literally made a man out of J.D. Discuss all the ways this is evinced in the book.

12. Vance’s admission into Yale Law School is the stuff of fairy tales for the average American. What about his life would have appealed to so selective a body as an Ivy League Admissions Committee? Talk about his experiences there.

13. In the final chapters, J.D. acknowledges all the elements that made a positive difference to his life – the thumbs put on my scale – as he calls it. We see him committed to taking the right approach to situations and relationships; and not repeating the mistakes he had witnessed in his early life. How does he continue to struggle to wean himself away from toxic patterns of behavior?

14. Vance identifies himself as a Modern Conservative, and is dismissive of how much may be achieved through government programs in bettering people’s lives and strengthening communities. The idea of personal responsibility and self-determination are recurrent themes in this book. He speaks from his personal experience; what are your thoughts on this?