For a country and world struggling to understand the power of Trumpism and its enduring hold over the "white working class," "Hillbilly Elegy" was embraced, in part, as a Rosetta Stone for decoding the incomprehensible ascent of Donald Trump. Despite Trump's 2020 defeat by Joe Biden, the proto-fascist Trumpian movement continues to grow in power and influence. As such, "Hillbilly Elegy", both the film and the book, will continue to cast a long shadow over America's understanding of Appalachia, white rural poverty and the famed white working class. Deserved or not, J.D. Vance will continue to be a singular figure among the country's opinion leaders.

But "Hillbilly Elegy" has a foundational problem: It may be one man's story, but that does not make it valid sociology or revealing of greater truths about Appalachia as a whole. In many ways, "Hillbilly Elegy" is an example of poverty porn designed to appeal to the same type of (white) viewer who may believe they understand "urban poverty" because they watched HBO's "The Wire."

As sociologist C. Wright Mills observed in "The Promise of the Sociological Imagination," a distinction must be made between "personal troubles and public issues" if one is to possess a sophisticated understanding of society, power and politics. Applying Mills' wisdom, "Hillbilly Elegy" is a personal story that does not sufficiently account for the ways institutions and broader social structures impact life outcomes.

-Chauncey Devega in Salon.com

The book is not good sociology.