An extraordinarily difficult childhood was the crucible for the man who someday might become the leader of the free world. Few have as much cringe worthiness and random nuttiness as does the amazing coming of age story of J. D. Vance, the recently nominated Republican candidate for vice president of the United States.
I had read Vance’s story, Hillbilly Elegy, soon after it was published in 2016, but thought that it made good sense to revisit the book in light of current events. It is a homage, warts and all, to his Appalachian forebears and the community he grew up in. Above all, it is the story of how key people can make all the difference in a life.
While it is clear to Vance that there are larger forces that can help or impede us, there are also individuals who can play formative, indeed salvational roles in the lives of others. Vance is clear-eyed and empathetic but also unsparing as to the Hillbilly culture that he was grew up in: a code of honor, a culture of violence and one that looked after its own, but in the process, could crush them.
Four different “fathers”
In Vance’s case, his life was literally saved by his roughhewn grandparents who provided him with an essential haven from a constantly shifting, uncertain, and randomly violent home life. His well-meaning mother was a serial addict who had five husbands and other men as well. As Vance noted, in one two-year period he had four different “fathers.”
Vance is candid about the people around him and about his reactions, actions, and attitudes to it all as a child. Basically, like all children, he wanted stability, and he was only able to find that with his “Mamaw” and “Papaw,” people that would have scared most of us on a first encounter.
He writes extensively about the cultural mores and the Hillbilly mindset that provided a powerful antidote to upward mobility. Similar to what we read about inner city culture, there was a bias against boys doing well in school or succeeding in a conventional way. This was not manly; it was what girls did. Mamaw and Papaw, though uneducated themselves, had no truck with this orientation and very much encouraged Vance to apply himself.
For all the myriad differences, there is a marked similarity between Hillbilly culture and Israeli society. The role of the extended family is key in both communities, and the strong sense of internal cohesion defines both. Vance writes that Hillbillies are God fearing but not particularly religiously observant. But there is a closeness to God and a solid connection to Christian values that are not suspended even when one’s conduct completely deviates from them.
Blessed with divine providence
My Jewish reading of Vance’s life story left me with a strong sense that he was blessed with haschahah pratit, divine providence. He was blessed to have people in his life who literally and figuratively rescued him and provided him with the stability and sanity that would allow him to grow and thrive. And he was blessed with an awareness and keen appreciation of the role that they played.
While Vance’s story was a jaw dropping saga when it was written in 2016 by a successful venture capitalist, it now takes on iconic significance given his elevation, not only as the prospective vice president, but also as the heir apparent to Trump’s America First political movement.
Certainly, the book was not written with this context in mind. Ironically, it contains a lengthy exoneration of former president Barack Obama, and exhibits nothing that would lead one to conclude that Vance would end up where he is now.
Unlike the stump speeches he is likely to make on the campaign trail, there is not a visceral indictment of corporate America, nor of the “system.” There is a healthy skepticism, but certainly no disinterest in the role that government or public institutions can play in the lives of individuals and their communities.
But at the end of the day, Vance looks to each of us individually as being capable, if so desired, of changing, elevating and, indeed, rescuing ourselves. This is an old fashioned, very traditional American notion of how we should regard ourselves. It is anti-victimization, while recognizing that many of us are brought up in communities where there are few advantages or legs up.
Yes, the Hillbillies had terrible diets, were prone to violence based on perceived honor codes, and had a pessimistic outlook on their ability to succeed or move up the mobility ladder. But at the end of the day, individuals, regular people, could help make the difference.
New generation of leadership
Vance is only 39, turning 40 next month. He is a veritable babe in arms compared to all the other nominees on the stage, and he, like former presidents John Kennedy and Barack Obama, might become the personification of a new generation of leadership that could profoundly reshape the social and political landscape in North America and the West.
To the extent that that might be so, there is reason for optimism. Vance himself is an optimist, a man who believes that we each and all can do better and become productive and fulfilled
This implicit world view is a tonic that we should all welcome. I for one believe that the incredible road of J. D. Vance’s life is likely to lead to amazing new twists and turns.
The writer is chairman of the Board of Im Tirtzu and a director of the Israel Independence Fund.