I don't understand why this book is so popular. I felt like the book was an advertisement for the Marine Corps and Yale Law School. A long humble brag. A quick and easy read, but not a fulfilling one.

This was a really interesting book. It gave me a lot to think about. I enjoyed learning about Vance's life and what he has witnessed about the people around him and how they influenced who he is now.

Insightful, I learned a lot about a culture of which I knew little. I found some similarities to my own childhood minus the neglect and abuse. I am frustrated that there seems to be no solutions. I am happy for him and his success.

Excellent first person companion to "White Trash" and "Our Kids."

Wow, I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Granted, probably because I could relate to the memoir portion explaining the authors early childhood in many ways. I believe that most of the recent negative reviews are based on political frustrations against Trump, because I thought he stayed pretty moderate considering his current position.
Vance's story is inspiring and no one can deny that for him to be as successful as he is now is due to nothing but hard work and support from a few select people in his life. Id recommend everyone to read this book, if nothing more than to humanize our political leaders regardless of your affiliation.

Changing my mind in this one the more it sits with me...

JD Vance cleverly zoomed in and out between his own life and experiences and the socio-economic workings at macrolevel. It does provide some insight into the values and self-identification of people and communities I find difficult to understand, read Trump voters, and how hard life is for children and adults growing up and living there. This story is one that makes it very clear how important a reliable, stable, and loving adult is in the life of any person actually and how a sense of agency in your own fate is crucial to overcoming the hardships of your environment.