While you—and I—may not agree with Vance’s politics, there is no denying his intelligence and work ethic. His rise from hillbilly roots and dysfunctional childhood to one of the highest political positions in America is an incredible show of upward mobility—an inspiring story that left me curious enough to pick up his memoir.

In Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance describes the adversity he faced from early childhood through graduating from Yale Law school, as well as the socioeconomic issues that continue to plague his Appalachian heritage. Raised in poverty by an addict mother and unhinged grandparents, in a community that placed little value on ambition and education, it’s easy to imagine how a bright young kid would desire to escape, yet tougher to imagine their ability to actually do so.

Vance opens the memoir by discussing the current state of the hillbilly community and the many ways its culture is in crisis. He explains how the departure of quality employers and erosion of positive values pushed the Appalachian people deeper into poverty, describing them as too lazy to work and too willing to blame others for their problems. Vance stresses the importance of strong support systems and stable family structures to break negative cultural cycles, crediting his own substantial rise in class, power, and success largely to the unconditional love from his grandmother and his sister’s ability to create a calm and functional family household of her own.

Writing Hillbilly Elegy at just 30, I didn’t expect much from Vance’s writing skills, or frankly, his content and opinions, but was pleasantly surprised. Although some of the socioeconomic analysis was overly generalized and would have benefited from deeper research, Vance’s personal antidotes and emotional experiences were both inspiring and well written. I would have rated it four stars if not for its political framing and a few questionable lines.