Robert finally picked up a copy of Hillbilly Elegy this week.  He’s a little late. The book has been widely seen as describing some important reasons this country is in its current presidential and party politics mess.  It describes the childhood of J.D. Vance, later to become a graduate of a famous law school (first letter “Y”).  He grew up in Appalachia and then Ohio and he describes the life and culture of his “hillbilly” tribe (i.e., Scotch-Irish poor).  Not pretty stuff. Actually, Robert recently also read Theft by Finding, David Sedaris’s diaries. Which, is pretty much the same book.  One a memoir flavored with social science.  The other a diary flavored with humor.  Each book is filled with descriptions of incredibly crude Southern people being destructive and mean.  Also, it is difficult to know how much of each book is actually true.