J. D. Vance takes a look back into where he came from and brings us along for the ride. Vance's life could have easily turned out differently. Truly the reader looks at his success as the mystery because the path was heading straight for a different ending. WE are the choices we make and Vance made choices that shaped him. There is plenty to discuss with this book. (I listened to the audio book read by the author)

While I commend the author for overcoming the odds, he had many factors that made it easier for him to overcome those odds...namely being a white male. Not sure if he was any other race would the narrative ended the same way.