Description
Book SynopsisWith hundreds of thousands of copies sold, a Ron Howard movie in the works, and the rise of its author as a media personality, J. D. Vance’s
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis has defined Appalachia for much of the nation. What about
Hillbilly Elegy accounts for this explosion of interest during this period of political turmoil? Why have its ideas raised so much controversy? And how can debates about the book catalyze new, more inclusive political agendas for the region’s future?
Appalachian Reckoning is a retort, at turns rigorous, critical, angry, and hopeful, to the long shadow
Hillbilly Elegy has cast over the region and its imagining. But it also moves beyond
Hillbilly Elegy to allow Appalachians from varied backgrounds to tell their own diverse and complex stories through an imaginative blend of scholarship, prose, poetry, and photography. The essays and creative work collected in
Appalachian Reckoning provide a deeply personal portrait of a place that is at once culturally rich and economically distressed, unique and typically American. Complicating simplistic visions that associate the region almost exclusively with death and decay,
Appalachian Reckoning makes clear Appalachia’s intellectual vitality, spiritual richness, and progressive possibilities.
Trade ReviewIn this illuminating and wide-ranging collection, the authors do more than just debunk the simplistic portrayal of white poverty found in
Hillbilly Elegy. They profoundly engage with the class, racial, and political reasons behind a Silicon Valley millionaire's sudden triumph as the most popular spokesman for what one contributor cleverly calls ‘Trumpalachia.' This book is a powerful corrective to the imperfect stories told of the white working class, rural life, mountain folk, and the elusive American Dream."" - Nancy Isenberg, author of
White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America""This edited volume continues the rich Appalachian studies tradition of pushing back against one-sided caricatures of Appalachian people. The essays, poems, and photo-essays in this book demonstrate the diversity of Appalachian perspectives on the serious problems facing our nation as well as the role that myths about Appalachia continue to play in US policy debates. This is a must-read for everyone who read (or refused to read) J. D. Vance's deeply flawed, best-selling memoir
, Hillbilly Elegy."" - Shaunna Scott, University of Kentucky
