Vance's story is certainly an admirable one - not many people born into his circumstances end up going to Yale. However, his writing sometimes came across as bragging? I say that with a question mark because I'm not trying to take away from the incredible things he has overcome in his life. He's earned the right to write a book about how he succeeded despite what was stacked against him. I just think Hillbilly Elegy was maybe a little bit mis-promoted. Perhaps the subtitle could have dropped the "culture" and just been "A Memoir of a Family in Crisis." I was expecting more factual information, like statistics and interviews with people outside of the author's family, to illustrate the plight of those living in Appalachia or similar areas. Instead, this was mostly the author recounting pivotal moments in his life and trying to relate them on a broad spectrum to the lives of other working class whites in the Midwest - but they often came across as a forced or shaky comparison without supporting data from other people in the same area and economic/social situations. (I will have to look at the physical copy though- I listened to the audio so maybe I'm missing some back matter/notes?) 
 Overall, I didn't find this a waste of time. Vance gave me a new perspective on a group of people I can't personally relate to. I am just hesitant to let his own interpretations on his life speak for every "hillbilly" until I read some other perspectives first.