First Edition "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis" is a non-fiction book by J.D. Vance, published in 2016. The book is described as part memoir and part sociological analysis of the white working class in America. It explores Vance's upbringing in the Appalachian culture of Kentucky and his experiences with poverty, social issues, and the challenges faced by his community in Middletown, Ohio.