I don't think in his book he claimed he was "from Appalachia." From Wikipedia:
Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis is a 2016
memoir by
J. D. Vance about the
Appalachian values of his
Kentucky family and the social and socioeconomic problems of his hometown of
Middletown, Ohio, where his mother's parents moved when they were young.
Summary
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edit]
Vance describes his upbringing and family background while growing up in
Middletown, Ohio. He writes about a family history of poverty and
manual labor jobs, and compares this life with his perspective after leaving it.
Though Vance was born and raised in Middletown, his mother and her family were from
Breathitt County, Kentucky. Their
Appalachian culture include traits such as loyalty and love of country despite family violence and verbal abuse. He recounts his grandparents' alcoholism as well as his unstable mother's history of drug addictions and failed relationships. Vance's grandparents reconciled and became his guardians. His strict but loving grandmother pushed him and Vance was able to leave Middletown for undergraduate studies at
Ohio State and post-graduate studies at
Yale Law School.
[2]
Alongside his personal history, Vance raises questions about the responsibility of his family and local people for their misfortunes. Vance cites
hillbilly culture and its encouragement of
social disintegration, along with the economic insecurity of Appalachia. Vance's arguments rely on personal experience, such as when he worked as a grocery store cashier he watched
welfare recipients talking on cell phones, whereas the working Vance could not afford one.
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His antipathy of those who seemed to profit from poor behavior while he struggled, especially combined with his values of personal responsibility and tough love, is presented as a rationale for Appalachia's political swing from a strong
Democratic bias to a strong
Republican affiliation. Likewise, he tells stories highlighting the lack of
work ethic of the local people, including the story of a man who quit his job after expressing dislike over his work hours, as well as a co-worker with a pregnant girlfriend who would simply skip work unexcused.
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