Tomatoes, Janes, and Appalachian Reads: From the Editor’s Desk July 2024
In today’s metaphorical peek over my shoulder as Managing Editor, I have another batch of bookish media I’m loving, excited about, or just want people to know more about. Today, I have some reading recs and essays about Appalachia, a fun historical adaptation with an accompanying playlist, and not one, but two pieces that had me glossy-eyed over tomatoes.
Enjoy! And go eat a tomato.
The Elegy O’Hillbilly and What to Read Instead
It’s been both a week and a whole lifetime since Trump announced his pick for VP. What I have to say about J.D. Vance and his 2016 book, Hillbilly Elegy, is mostly Spanish curse words, so instead, I’ll direct you to a few excellent resources from folks familiar with and from the region of Appalachia.
First, we have a few pieces by Book Riot folks that date back as far as 2016. In Lies, Damn Lies, and Hillbilly Elegy, Josh Corman reflects on the results of the 2016 election and the success of Hillbilly Elegy, which purports to be an analysis of the decline of the white working class. Corman describes the book as really being two books, where the first is a compelling memoir on family and addiction, and the second is “a clumsy social commentary that cherry-picks its sources and presents anecdotal evidence as a revelatory peek behind the curtain” of the economic decline of the rust belt and Appalachia.
Building on this critique of Vance’s lazy misrepresentation of Appalachia, Kendra Winchester has written not one but two pieces with recommendations of books to read instead of Hillbilly Elegy, There is so much excellent literature from and about Appalachia, and Kendra has rounded up 30 examples here for our reading pleasure and education: 15 Books About Appalachia to Read Instead of Hillbilly Elegy and 15 More Books About Appalachia to Read Instead of Hillbilly Elegy.
I also have a podcast for you on the subject, because of course I do. For a quick and dirty dive into the problems with Hillbilly Elegy, I highly recommend the episode of If Books Could Kill on the subject. Hosts Michael Hobbs and Peter Shamshiri originally tackled the book in 2023 and re-released the episode last week in light of the VP announcement, and if you’re a person who likes some levity and an accessible discussion on big topics, this episode (and the entire podcast) does this really well. Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you do your podcast listening.
All Access Members: read on for the rest of this bonus send!
That’s it for me! I’ll catch you all in a few weeks for another roundup of random bookish media. What other pods, playlists, etc, are y’all loving right now? Let’s chat in the comments! And if you found this post online and want it straight in your inbox, sign up for The Deep Dive newsletter here.
The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!
The comments section is moderated according to our community guidelines. Please check them out so we can maintain a safe and supportive community of readers!
Leave a comment
Join All Access to add comments.