Saturday, July 15, 2017

Hillbilly Elegy: Book Review






Hillbilly Elegy
By JD Vance


I purchased Hillbilly Elegy because of the election this year. The book was talked about on the TV news networks.  The book is not just about the life of living in the mountains. It is also about the culture, sociology, behavior, and history of living in the mountains. Or what we know as "hillbillies".

The book was not an easy read. It is a memoir of growing up in one culture, Kentucky mountains,  (Appalachian Mountains) and then migrating to another( Ohio).  The book was written by the prospective of their grandson, JD.

He's Grandparents, and his mother, and himself, and his siblings had a difficult life.  His Grandparents married they moved to Ohio. They moved to the steel factory. Which was great for a time economically.  Unfortunately, many of the people that worked in the steel factory lost their jobs. No more jobs were to be had in the area. J. D. and his family economically, and culturally had a difficult time of it.

You would think this is what the book is about. But, it was more than that. It was about the culture clash between the south, and the north. Most families were not able to adapt from the Kentucky mountains migrating to suburbia. Coming from the Appalachian mountains to Middleton, Ohio. Which was very difficult for them and the others that came from Kentucky. J.D.'s Mawaw, and Grandfather were dirt poor in the Kentucky mountains. When the moved to Ohio things changed for the better economically. But, the culture differences were still there. Think of the Beverly Hillbillies.

                                                           

JD grew up knowing violence, domestic abuse, drug, and alcohol abuse. His Mawaw( grandmother), was a strong force holding the family together. She was a tough cookie.
Continually, J. D. was bounced around from house to house each time he's mother divorced. Finally by the time J. D. was fourteen years old. He's Mawaw wasn't going to tolerate it any longer. She wanted to give him a stable home with lots of encouragement to J. D. Mawaw felt education was a very important.

 Many children were surrounded by trauma inside and outside the school and home.  His Grandmother didn't want this to be an excuse for her grandson.  Which can include sexual abuse, domestic abuse, drug, and alcohol abuse, violence. The list can go on, and on.

J.D. become successful. He graduated high school, went into the Marines, eventually went to Yale, into law school. The hardest part was adapting from the "holler" to suburbia. Try this, while in law school he was going out to dinner with other college students, and instructors, asked what kind of wine he would like. He has never had wine in his life. Couldn't even pronounce the name. He was embarrassed as I am sure we would be too. I hate to tell him. This is not a "Hillbilly thing". Because I didn't know at that age either. But, I am sure that is not the point he is getting at.

My Review: Hillbilly Eulogy was a fast read. I read the book because of Trump's win. But, I don't think the book explain it. It is about the "Hillbilly Culture", I always wondered what it was like living in a rural, poor, area. I have traveled years ago through the Kentucky, and Tennessee mountains.  The book does give a glimpse of the culture. It was a very fast, but difficult read. If you ever wondered about the culture. I recommend the book.

 Below you will find J. D. on Ted Talks below. You will get a better understanding. I am very glad I read it. The only problem I had. I expected it to be about the people of the rural area and Trump and why he won. You can think what you want about why Trump won. I think there are many different reasons. This may be a theory. But, I don't think it is because of them.





The Year Voting Dangerously: Book Review







The Year of Voting Dangerously
By Maureen Dowd


This year has been the ugliest,  strangest presidential election since I have been alive! no kidding, y'all say.What gave you that idea?! I never was involved or cared about politics till this year.

I voted as a Republican because that was what we did in my house.  I listened to my father. Not this year. I knew of Donald Trump when I was younger when I lived in NJ. What a womanizer, a slum lord, and was in bed with mafia, and criminals. Many investigations involving him and the NJ Casinos in Atlantic City, shady deals with real estate. Of course the list can go on, and on.

The sad part this year. It is hard to figure out who you can talk to without it  becoming a fight with someone at the Thanksgiving table. I never brought up politics with my father, or my brothers for fear of repercussions. Pretty sad as this is what has been going on in many friendships, and families. People now don't talk to one another.

 I felt that Donald Trump was a joke. I couldn't believe anyone would vote for him. But the craziness began. Who in their right mind would vote for him? Well, unfortunately there are many out there. There are so many theories of why he won. Why Clinton didn't win.

FYI- I didn't want either one of them. I voted for Bernie Sanders. Because in my mind he was a better choice. I didn't want Clinton. Because she doesn't tell the truth. Because of her husband. I didn't want to see him in the White House again. I didn't want Trump because he was reckless, incompetent, thin skinned, doesn't shut his mouth, is very open how he feels, doesn't act like a government official, very crude, rude, anti establishment, nationalist, acts like a tyrant, isn't for the American people, is against everyone's civil liberties, if you are LGBT, Jewish, Muslim, Afro-American you better run to Canada........ The list can go on, and on.

I picked up the book, The Year of Voting Dangerously because of the craziness of the election. I was looking for something to pick up to explain the craziness of the election. To make me feel better. For the author and I to connect and commiserate together.  Also I saw a talk on Book TV and was impressed with what she had to say.

I found the book not about the year. But, the contemporary political history of the United States. I wasn't expecting to read about the previous political climate. Which I can see why because it adds to the reason of the craziness of 2016.

 Her essays are taken from her posts from the NYT from when she started to the most recent. I did enjoy reading until it started getting repetitive. In the beginning each chapter is about Trump. Then she writes about Hilary. She then goes a different direction. She writes about the previous political years.

She wrote in length about the Bush's while in office. Bush 1, Bush 2, and Jeb. I don't totally agree with her about them or about Hilary. The one part we both agree on is Donald J. Trump. I enjoyed the book about 1/4 of the way. But,  the book became tedious. Her writing was a bit slanted as well.  But, I would not recommend buying the book. I would have rather read bits and pieces of the book. It's not worth reading the entire book.

I wasn't planning on talking about my feelings and fears about this year's election. I was planning to write a review only.  But, unfortunately, I couldn't help myself. It was a bouncing board to let out my own thoughts and feelings. I would like to apologize to my blog readers if I offended anyone.  But, this is a place I can finally say what I feel. One of the other reasons I purchased the book was because of the panel on Book TV. It did sound interesting what Maureen Dowd had to say. It perked my interest. I should have stayed with that. Below is the Book TV show.



Marlene
By C. W. Gortner

I did not know anything about Marlene Dietrich. Only that I knew she was an actress. She was born in Germany in 1901.  She lived through World War 1 in genteel poverty, then into middle class. She was a rebel rouser as a teenager. Her mother sent her off to school. Where she slept around.

She is a violinist, but changes her career as a singer, then to a cabaret singer. Then off to Hollywood. Where she becomes a leading lady in many feature films. Most of the films she made centered on her looks, rather than her smarts. Later on in her career, she did make a few serious films.
                                                         
She is known for her drop dead body, her smoky voice, her gorgeous gowns, her non traditional men's clothing at the cabaret. She was a rebel. She had several scandalous love affairs.  Which she had many leading men which included, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, and many more.

In the United States when World War 2 was happening. People didn't think kindly of her. They felt she was a sympathizer to the Germans. Which was not true at all. It was totally the opposite. She hated the Nazi's. Hitler tried to coax her to come back to make pictures in Germany. She refused which infuriated Hitler. Instead she became a U. S. citizen.

What I found was interesting she did advocate against the Germans. When she returned to Germany she was heartbroken and devastated how her country was left in shatters. Her sister was caught running a camp in Germany. The United States wanted to know if Marlene knew if her sister was involved.  Instead her sister let it be known she had no idea who she was.

She volunteers with the USO and toured in Europe and Africa. She found her calling she loved entertaining the troops. The men loved her. Especially General Patton. Whom she had an affair as well.

While reading the novel. Something was bugging me. I couldn't put my finger on it . It was never said she was unhappy. But, I got to thinking about it. I realize what got her anywhere was her body, and her looks.  Is that all there is? Or is that just me. I wouldn't want to further my career just on looks alone.

Our book club members loved the book. Some of them reminisced about the movies that Marlene Dietrich was involved in. The many movie stars, and politics in the movies in Hollywood.  The competition of Greta Garbo, and Marlene Dietrich. How different movie studios are different now than they were in the 30's, and 40's. Where the production companies owned your contract and could ruin you.

The author, C. W. Gortner wrote Marlene by accident. He was involved in writing the novel, Chanel. In the novel, Chanel was a scene with Marlene Dietrich. Which his editor decided was better on the floor rather than in the book. His publicist gave him the idea of writing Marlene after Chanel was written.

We gave the book 5 tea cups.  We just loved the book. We needed to get away from the seriousness. It was a fun read!
                                                       
We are doing something different next month. Instead of reading the same book. We will each reading a different book and giving a review. We have never done this before. One of our members gave us the idea. I will let you know how it goes.






 
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