Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture

Mamaw and Papaw have three children, interspersed with nine miscarriages. The oldest is Jimmy (born 1951), the middle child, Vance’s mom, is Bev (born 1961), and the youngest is Lori (born 1962), known throughout the memoir as Aunt Wee. Papaw continues to work at Armco while his drinking habit worsens. Mamaw develops into a hoarder, failing to keep the house clean and staying at home more and more. Vance says, “hillbilly culture at the time (and maybe now) blended a robust sense of honor, devotion to family, and bizarre sexism into a sometimes explosive mix” (41).

Papaw and Mamaw’s marriage turns violent, with both parties involved in screaming matches and episodes of physical abuse. Jimmy leaves the home as soon as he finishes high school, while Lori (Aunt Wee) drops out of high school at 16, marrying her boyfriend and becoming trapped in an abusive relationship herself. Bev, Vance’s mom, finishes high school but gets pregnant at 18, marries, and puts college off. A year later, she has Lindsay, Vance’s sister, and divorces.

Around this same time—1983—Papaw quits drinking, and he and Mamaw reconcile, though continue to live in separate houses in Middletown.