Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance)

J.D. Vance is a hillbilly. He grew up in Middletown, Ohio, and spent plenty of time in Jackson, Kentucky. From a blue-collar and broken home (poor, an addict mother rotating through husbands, an extended family with their own anger, money, or drug problems), he would beat the odds to graduate high school, serve as a Marine, go to college, go to Yale law school, and have a stable and happy home life. But even if you leave the 'holler' . . . does it ever really leave you? Hillbilly Elegy is his story, but not just his—it is "a memoir of a family and culture in crisis." 

Vance's stated goals here are to help people understand the white poor, the demons they face (and that follow them), what the American Dream looks like for people like him, and how upward mobility feels for a "cultural emigrant." Written when he was just thirty-one, within a decade this man would go on to be Senator (and now) Vice President. Incredible.

This is a sobering, haunting, and yet hopeful/inspiring read. It is mostly a memoir—a select autobiography—with some statistics and insights thrown in on the white poor as a whole. Ultimately, Vance shows that everyone needs help (it's about who you know, who knows you, and how they help you) and grace (we all have our demons and need others to heal). He also has keen insights on the realities of personal responsibility being in tension with the environment you are raised in and its impact on you. Regardless of how you feel about the man's politics, I recommend this book to help understand not just him, but the challenges that face a large percentage of America today.

Rating: A

A Declaration Worthy of Reflection

The Bennington Flag. Image from here

Happy 250th Birthday, America!

On July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the revised Declaration of Independence, making today our nation's birthday. (Side note: they voted for independence on July 2nd, but then spent two days revising wording of the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4th.)

You can (and should) read a transcript of the Declaration of Independence here. Here is my summary:

First paragraph: When a people need to dissolve political ties, they should explain why.

Second: I'll quote the first half as it is the most famous:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government . . .

Governments shouldn't be dissolved for just any reason, but the King of Great Britain is terrible and we need a change.

List: It then lists 27 reasons why the King is terrible.*

Third: We've presented our grievances repeatedly and humbly, but we get only more injury in return. A person who acts like this is a tyrant and unfit to rule.**

Fourth: We told the British people, too, but they also ignored us. We thus must separate and "hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends."

Fifth: We thus declare "That these United Colonies are . . . Free and Independent States . . ." 

Signatures: It is signed by 56 people from across the 13 colonies. Pennsylvania has the most representation (9) and is thus the best state.***

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On our birthday, I'd like to point out a few things: 

1) "We hold these truths to be self-evident . . ."

Our nation, like everything in our lives, is built on faith. On something you cannot prove, but a set of underlying assumptions you operate out of. (Recent books reviewed here talk more about this—see this book by Glenn Sunshine and this one by James K.A. Smith for more.) What were our founding fathers' assumptions? What are ours today? How have they changed? Why does it matter? Worthy questions for reflection.

2) How can we best enjoy (and leverage) our liberty? What does the Bible say about freedom? How are Biblical notions of freedom the same or different? How then should we live? (1 Peter 2:13-17 and Galatians 5:1-15 are good starting points.)

3) Enjoy and reflect on the truth in the below picture (from Etsy).

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*All related to governing America poorly; it doesn't get into personal factors like hygiene, though I suspect (given the realities of the age) that it would have been fair to include.

**Yes, we mean you, King.

***Go Birds

American Reading List: Children's Literature

image from here

A few years ago, I presented an American Reading List (ARL) in several parts (due to its size). I realized today that I did not adequately cover children's literature. I amend that error here, and moved titles from those earlier lists (literature, history and everything else) as needed.

Most of the ~60 titles below were taken from the 2012 "Top 100 chapter books" poll frequently cited as representative of the opinions of educators. Expect this list to evolve.

Louisa May Alcott         Little Women

Lloyd Alexander             The Book of Three

Tom Angleberger           The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Avi                                  The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

Natalie Babbitt                Tuck Everlasting

Lynne Reid Banks         The Indian in the Cupboard

L. Frank Baum                The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Jeanne Birdsall                The Penderwicks

Judy Blume                     Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Meg Cabot                 The Princess Diaries

Beverly Cleary                Ramona and her Father

Andrew Clements           Frindle

Sharon Creech                Walk Two Moons

Christopher Paul Curtis  Bud, Not Buddy

Kate DiCamillo             Because of Winn-Dixie

Edward Eager                 Half Magic

Elizabeth Enright           Gone-Away Lake

Louise Fitzhugh             Harriet the Spy

Esther Forbes                 Johnny Tremain

Sid Fleischman         The Whipping Boy

Ruth Stiles Gannett        My Father's Dragon

Jean Craighead George    My Side of the Mountain

Fred Gipson                 Old Yeller

Norton Juster                 The Phantom Tollbooth

Jeff Kinney                 Diary of a Wimpy Kid

E. L. Konigsburg            From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Jane Langton                 The Diamond in the Window

Madeliene L'Engle         A Wrinkle in Time

Gail Carson Levine        Ella Enchanted

Grace Lin                        Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Maud Hart Lovelace       Betsy-Tacy

Lois Lowry                 The Giver

Lois Lowry                 Number the Stars  

Robert C. O'Brien          Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Scott O'Dell                 The Island of the Blue Dolphin

R.J. Palacio                    Wonder

Katherine Paterson         Bridge to Terabithia

Gary Paulsen                  Hatchet

Richard Peck                  A Long Way from Chicago

William Pene du Bois    The Twenty-One Balloons

Sara Pennypacker         Clementine

Dav Pilkey                 The Adventures of Captain Underpants

Ellen Raskin                 The Westing Game      

Wilson Rawls                 Where the Red Fern Grows

Barbara Robinson           The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Louis Sachar                 Holes

Gary D. Schmidt            The Wednesday Wars

George Selden                The Cricket in Times Square

Brian Selznick                The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Lemony Snicket             The Bad Beginning

Zilpha Keatley Snyder    The Egypt Game

Elizabeth George Speare    The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Jerry Spinelli                   Maniac Magee

Rebecca Stead                When You Reach Me

R. L. Stine                 Goosebumps

Mildred Taylor                Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

Sydney Taylor                All-of-a-Kind Family

Megan Whalen Turner    The Thief

Wendelin Van Draanen    Flipped

Gertrude Chandler Warner    The Boxcar Children

E. B. White                 Charlotte's Web

Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House on the Prairie

Deborah Wiles                Each Little Bird That Sings

Stone Harbor & Cape May

Last week, we got the chance to spend some time with a friend at Stone Harbor, New Jersey. We took one day to explore nearby Cape May. This post looks at both.

Stone Harbor is the southern town on seven-mile island (the northern is Avalon). It features a quaint downtown strip with expected stores (food, souvenirs, and so on—Springer's ice cream, two blocks north of the strip, is a must-visit). With the island having a typical width of only 2000ft, all homes are within easy walk of both beach and bay. It is almost entirely single family homes, many of which are modern, large, and beautifully constructed, with multi-level decks and flower boxes and more. (I enjoyed the homes more than the beach itself.) This lends itself to lower population density, less crowded beaches, and a laidback atmosphere well-suited to families.

Cape May is 12 miles south of Stone Harbor as the crow flies. Cape May Point (south of Cape May proper) has a lighthouse, WWII-era bunker, sunken concrete ship, and WWII-era watchtower. Cape May itself has a nice shopping district and pretty Victorian homes scattered throughout the town.

Overall, we spent our Stone Harbor days on the beach, walking the town, enjoying the homes, eating ice cream, and playing games or relaxing with our friend. And enjoying the sunrise. Time well spent.

Cooperstown and Home

After an enjoyable day in the White Mountains, it was time for the long drive to Cooperstown (5 hours, 260 miles). There's no great way to get there from rural New Hampshire; a decent part of the trip is country roads. But we arrived by 4pm; enough time to enjoy the town.

I love Cooperstown. Its main street is classic Americana. The shops plentiful and baseball-focused, from cards to hats to jerseys and other memorabilia. Outside the main drag, beautiful homes and tree-lined streets abound. I could spend a few days strolling (and shopping).

After an enjoyable evening, we retired for the night.

The next day, we were ready for the Hall of Fame when it opened its doors (at 9am). The museum recommended allowing two hours to visit; we were done in an hour and a half, going at a decent pace and enjoying the exhibits (but not reading everything). The 19-minute movie at the beginning was . . . nostalgic but not great (it gave no history, but featured players talking about how they love the game and showing some iconic moments). But the rest was excellent—they have exhibits on the game's origins, select players of note (like Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson), the African American League, the Woman's League, team displays, baseball cards, and more. At the end of the experience (they recommend seeing the museum 2nd floor—3rd floor—1st floor, oddly) is the Hall of Fame itself, where almost 350 people have plaques with paragraphs describing their achievements. The latest four slots had the background marble (with player signatures) but no plaques, yet—they are to be inducted in a week or so.

After the Hall, it was time to drive home (5:30, ~340 miles). It was (mercifully) mostly highways.

The Trip in Total

It was a whirlwind, but an enjoyable one. We spent five of eight days driving for five or more hours, but got to enjoy plenty of beautiful scenery, amazing weather, wonderful friends, and some history to boot. The entire journey (below) was more than 1500 miles, though. It's good to be home and get some rest.