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Hillbilly Elegy

A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

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Hillbilly Elegy

By: J. D. Vance
Narrated by: J. D. Vance
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About this listen

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER / OVER A MILLION COPIES SOLD

THE AMERICAN VICE PRESIDENT'S ORIGIN STORY

‘Essential reading for this moment in history’ New York Times

'You will not read a more important book about America this year' Economist

‘Brilliant … offers an acute insight into the reasons voters have put their trust in Trump’ Observer

J. D. Vance grew up in the hills of Kentucky. His family and friends were the people most of the world calls rednecks, hillbillies or white trash.

In this deeply moving memoir, Vance tells the story of his family’s demons and of America’s problem with generational neglect. How his mother struggled against, but never fully escaped, the legacies of abuse, alcoholism, poverty and trauma. How his grandparents, ‘dirt poor and in love’, gave everything for their children to chase the American dream. How Vance beat the odds to graduate from Yale Law School. And how America came to abandon and then condescend to its white working classes, until they reached breaking point.

‘A beautiful memoir but it is equally a work of cultural criticism about white working-class America … Vance offers a compelling explanation for why it’s so hard for someone who grew up the way he did to make it … a riveting book’ Wall Street Journal

** Now a major-motion picture directed by Ron Howard and starring Amy Adams, Glenn Close, and Gabriel Basso **

©2016 J. D. Vance (P)2016 HarperCollins Publishers
Americas Economic History Economics Politicians Politics & Activism Social Classes & Economic Disparity Sociology United States Memoir Inspiring Thought-Provoking Resilience

What listeners say about Hillbilly Elegy

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Excellent. Insightful and informative.

JD Vance has written a work that allows a view of a social group from the eyes of an insider, at the same time allowing the reader to share in his personal growth. I am an Australian and I can relate his views, of the challenges faced by those excluded, to several groups of our own society; one supposedly more inclusive than that of 'the greatest nation on Earth's. Thank you for your story and insights. I feel a better and more informed member of society for the knowledge.

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Thank you for the healing!

Amazing to hear the perspective from another person from a similar socioeconomic rung in childhood.
Our experiences may differ, however our struggles are the same.
Thank you JD!

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Worth the time to listen to

Well written and beautifully narrated. Interesting true story about love, resilience and families. This story needs to remain successful for generations to come.

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Great story

Interested and informative, honest and loving. A good read particularly at this time 11/1/2025. Well done.

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vice president origin story

it was gripping I listened to it in nearly one go. it was fascinating hearing JD Vance's early life story while watching Trump tear down the very institutions like social security that allowed Vance's family to survive in the first place

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WOW

Very well described and very well read by JD. Deserves to be the next President of USA.

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Amazing story about overcoming the odds

Really enjoyed this unique and personal account of a much wider problem in American society. I could relate to JD Vance's story in many ways, despite being a non-American. The audiobook was read very well by the author.

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Beautifully read, wonderful book

I read this on looks 3 chat 10 podcast recommendation. I am not disappointed. Interesting, poignant and read with feeling.

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Thought provoking book

I listened to this book after a friend suggested it. She said it gave insights into the poor who supported Trump. It did provide a confronting window into the lives of the rustbelt poor in America. It also depicted a family in crisis and the poor stock of skills many people have to deal with the situations facing them. Of course many of the problems are found here in Australia too. Some of my extended family post Pauline Hanson opinions on Facebook that would fit seamlessly into hillbilly culture. J D Vance gives an honest account of a difficult life, his subsequent successes and ackowledges those who helped him out of the mire. I recommend it as a great read.

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A modern classic

An amazing story of a world most of us can only guess at. J D Vance tells his story without either sugar coating or dramatising. So refreshing in these days of victimisation

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.