Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

While Hillbilly Elegy will no doubt intrigue those unfamiliar with Appalachia with his look into his own incredibly dysfunctional family, he is not actually from the region nor does he speak for Appalachia in it's entirety. Yet, his statements are generalized across all the population as an expert. This is misleading. As a summer visitor to the area, belonging to the family who left, his take on the region is skewed, his research limited, his generalizations only relevant to a specific population in the area. There are truths spoken in his words, but not all truths. It is hard for people to read the hard truths about themselves as Mr. Vance states, and it's harder still to hear those truths from an outsider, even one who has ties to the area. If one chooses to read this book, it should be taken as ONE opinion. It should be read alongside other books from the region which may not make it to the New York Times Best Seller list due to better literary writing and not seeking to bank on stereotypes. Mr. Vance is making his name on the crazy in his own family. Fine. Just don't let him fool you that all of their neighbors had the same experiences.