Appalachian Reckoning - a region responds to Hillbilly Elegy

APPALACHIAN RECKONING: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy is edited by Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll.  Describing this as a “book born out of frustration … a book born out of hope,” the editors set out to gather essays, images and poetry to respond to J. D. Vance’s bestselling (and soon to be movie) Hillbilly Elegy. Harkins is a professor of history at Western Kentucky University and McCarroll is the director of writing and rhetoric at Bowdoin College. Both have written extensively about Appalachia, but this collection is a bit uneven, ranging from overly scholarly responses to personal stories. Harkins and McCarroll split the book into two sections, with the first part offering selections “directly assessing or commenting on the words and impact of Vance’s influential work.”  Part II is titled “Beyond Hillbilly Elegy” and they say, “there is no singular focal point to part II other than the shared idea that there is no consensus about Appalachia.” 

Still, this collection deserves a look, especially as many of our students read and discuss Vance’s work for class assignments. For example, Robert Morgan (who teaches at Cornell and is a best-selling novelist and poet) is amongst the many contributors who are described in brief bios. This text strives to offer new perspective - like William H. Turner’s (Prairie View A & M) commentary on African American Appalachians – a group he says “Vance ignored.” Other writers contend that Vance reinforced stereotypes and, like Lisa Pruitt (UC, Davis), note that while his is “a tale that affirms our nation’s core values and aspirations,” it “does not foster understanding or empathy for those Vance left behind; rather it cultivates judgment.” Also thought-provoking is “public historian” Elizabeth Catte’s contribution exploring Hillbilly Elegy’s use as an instructional text.  APPALACHIAN RECKONING received a starred review from Kirkus.