My whole family is from Kentucky. I still have good family in Kentucky. My parents and all my grandparents are buried in Kentucky. But my mom’s parents and my dad and his sister moved up to Middletown, Ohio before I was born for better jobs. My grandfather and dad worked in the local steel mill, Armco.
So when I received a copy of Hillbilly Elegy in the mail by a pastor friend, I could relate to the author’s background. The author, J. D. Vance, grew up in Middletown. His family is from Kentucky and worked at Armco. The language is a little rough at times but it is authentic. It depicts the struggles in many cities like Middletown.
The results of violence, hurt, and poverty
If you are like me, I had to look up the word ‘elegy.’ It means ‘a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who has died.’ Wow! By its own title, this book is about mourning the death of a culture, the hillbillies. It is kind of a memoir of J. D. Vance and the changes he witnessed in his world.
This book has become a best seller. It has been promoted as an ‘analysis of the poor who back Trump.’ Vance describes a family and community dynamic with positive traits like loyalty, love of country and God. Yet, this culture is filled with anger, drugs, and violence. It describes a rough group of people.
My Middletown
Growing up in Middletown, I saw very little of the lifestyle described by Vance. But it was there. My mom taught night classes at Middletown High School for girls who were pregnant. She helped them graduate. The class was full. Some of my friends were into the party scene. One of my friends had a flask of alcohol hidden in the boys bathroom in our Christian school.
I admit with Vance that the working class, blue collar factory workers took a hard hit in the 80s and 90s. My dad went through it. Poverty can do severe damage to people. Maybe I dodged all this because I went through Middletown about 10-20 years earlier than Vance. I left for college in 1979. It didn’t hurt that the Butler County sheriff lived across the street the whole time I lived in Middletown.
I still have family and lots of good friends living in Middletown. My sister lives in our old house. My brother teaches at the high school. I have many friends who work at AK Steel (formerly Armco). There’s a lot of bad stuff happening in Middletown. The neighborhoods are getting dangerous. Heroine use is at epidemic levels. But it’s a good city with good people.
This blog isn’t really a review about the book. When I first opened the book I didn’t know that it was a New York Times Bestseller. I just read it because of all the personal connections. So when I later noticed many of the reviews, I discovered that there are a lot of people in the ‘rust belt’ who have had similar experiences as Vance.
Why?
So, I began to wonder why I didn’t feel this pressure? When I contact my sister, brothers, and good friends, why aren’t they angry, impoverished white people? Why aren’t we like the society recollected in Hillbilly Elegy?
Some may think I got out of Middletown just in time. When I left for college, I never really came back home. A few summers I worked at Armco, but after graduating I never came back to live. Maybe there’s some truth to that.
But I know other people who have stayed in Middletown and they are raising good children who stay off drugs. They aren’t angry bitter people. My brother’s son is going to a Christian college. And my sister’s daughter is married to a pastor in Seattle. So what makes the difference?
Faith can overcome any obstacle.
I can’t answer for anybody else. But I know that what has made the biggest difference in my life has been my faith. I was part of a good church while growing up in Middletown and trusted Jesus Christ as Savior while a teenager. I attended the local Christian school and most of my friends were Christians. What has helped me struggle through temptations and pitfalls has been my faith in Jesus Christ. My faith has kept me positive.
Nothing in life is certain. I’m currently living in Michigan which has gone through its own economic disaster. Flint, Detroit, and even my own small town of Adrian have felt the impact of industry and businesses either closing down or leaving the state. Some of the same societal problems that hit Middletown have plagued our communities.
I have seen many rise above the storms. Many of these have been people who have placed their faith in Christ, not the government or their vocation. You see, when your faith is attached to something that doesn’t change, like God, nothing can sway you. And when you know that God has your back and your future, you can have peace in a storm.
I think J. D. Vance has a perceptive recollection of some of the dilemmas of areas like Middletown, Ohio. It really helps us understand the origins of many of the ills in America. Surely many people can see parallels to their own family and community in the pages of his book. But I still believe that it is Jesus who can keep you solid and safe in any environment.
For the record, I still love blue grass music, Reds baseball, Kentucky basketball, Kings Island and Skyline chili. My grandchildren all call me ‘Papaw.’ I will always have a little hillbilly in me. And I will also carry Middletown in my heart.
What do you think? Are we victims of our society or can we rise above the circumstances?