James David Vance was born on August 2, 1984, in Middletown, Ohio, located between Cincinnati and Dayton, as James Donald Bowman, the son of Donald Bowman and Bev Vance. He is of Scots-Irish descent.[5][3][6] His mother and father divorced when Vance was a toddler. Shortly afterward, Vance was adopted by his mother's third husband.[2] Vance and his sister were raised primarily by his grandparents, whom Vance affectionately called "Mamaw and Papaw".[5][7][8][9] J. D. went under the name James Hamel, the surname of his stepfather, until settling on the surname Vance by the time he had reached adulthood. Vance was the family name of his grandfather.[10]
Vance was educated at Middletown High School,[11] a public high school in his home town. After graduating, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps[12] and served in The Iraq War with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, performing public affairs activities.[13][14][15] Vance later graduated summa cum laude from Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy.[16][17] While at Ohio State, he worked for Republican State Senator Bob Schuler.[18]
After graduating from Ohio State, Vance received a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. During his first year at Yale Law, his mentor and professor Amy Chua convinced him to write his memoir.[19]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillbilly_Elegy#Summary
Vance describes his upbringing and family background while growing up in the city of Middletown, Ohio, the third largest city in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. He writes about a family history of poverty and low-paying, physical jobs that have since disappeared or worsened in their guarantees, and compares this life with his perspective after leaving it.
Though Vance was raised in Middletown, his mother and her family were from Breathitt County, Kentucky. Their Appalachian values include traits like loyalty and love of country, despite social issues including violence and verbal abuse. He recounts his grandparents' alcoholism and abuse, and his unstable mother's history of drug addictions and failed relationships. Vance's grandparents eventually reconciled and became his de facto guardians. He was pushed by his tough but loving grandmother, and eventually Vance was able to leave Middletown to attend Ohio State University and Yale Law School.[1]
Alongside his personal history, Vance raises questions such as the responsibility of his family and people for their own misfortune. Vance blames hillbilly culture and its supposed encouragement of social rot. Comparatively, he feels that economic insecurity plays a much lesser role.
Pay attention: his mother and her family were from Breathitt County, Kentucky
So he never actually lived in KY growing up but now he thinks people that come from where his mother came from are ignorant basically.
He's a Yale educated, know it all snob of a lawyer, something we already have too many of in government, yet he wants to proclaim his good values as being of a hillbilly type even though eh thinks hillbilly people are mostly POS. The dude's wacked.
My dad and mom took that hillbilly highway and raised us in northern Ohio. Fortunately, I found my way back to Appalachia after a couple detours to the east and the west.
Try again.
DEEP KenTUCKee roots with a lot of formative time and experience there. Doubt you’ve read his book. Sympathetic, not hourly-toity. But clearly you know better.
By the way, Cincy was not jokingly called the Capital of the Northern Confederacy.
Do you know any conservative Yale grads who actually survived the place? I do. Rare but real.
Adiós.