Third Thurs Twitter Chat July 2017 - Libraries Read: 1 Book, Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

1/2 hour to our chat Libraries Read: 1 Book discussion on Hillbilly Elegy #MCLSchat

I also wasn't able to finish the audiobook manifestation of Hillbilly Elegy for tomorrow's #mclschat so no spoilers, ok?

Welcome to our chat Libraries Read: 1 Book discussion on Hillbilly Elegy #mclschat

We’ll get started in just a moment. First say “Hi” and tell us where you are tweeting from? #mclschat

Jan here from MCLS in Lansing #mclschat

Q1 Hillbilly Elegy won the voting for Libs Read: 1 Book this year. Why were people interested in reading it? #mclschat

A1 I was curious to see if it accurately portrayed folks of my background / class. #mclschat

Q2 Did the book live up to what you expected it would be? #mclschat

A2 I just got to Disc 7 (college years) so I'm not sure yet. His military experience was well described and thoughtfully analyzed. #mclschat

Q3 In what way is the Appalachian culture described in HB Elegy a "culture in trouble"? Do you agree with the author's premise? #mclschat

#mclschat hi, Lorie from Indiana

Hi @LorieALong! #mclschat

A3 I'm trying to remember what exactly that theory was. Did he mean it'll be extinct bc it limits what we define as success? #mclschat

@dejah_thoris self destructive for sure. Regressive and pulling others back as well. #mclschat

Megan here from MCLS. #mclschat

Q4 Vance suggests that unemployment and addiction are self-inflicted? Do you agree with Vance's assessment? #mclschat

#mclschat I think people give up on themselves because they don't get or have the support they need to thrive. not everyone though.

#mclschat the children growing up in these communities are in trauma and don't get the support they need to thrive.

#mclschat As libraries, we need to step in and help. We need to give them the tools and show them how to use the tools too.

@LorieALong True. There are also impoverished cultures all over the world. How was what Vance described different than those? #mclschat

A4 Addiction possibly because it is a form of escape. Sex and violence are too. #mclschat

#mclschat a book came out not long ago, I forget the name :) but it discussed addiction as a reflection of an impoverished environment.

#mclschat I also got it when he talked about how he now felt different after he left his home community. he could truly never go back home

A4 Unemployment is a little more complicated. Some of it is due to personal poor behavior but there's structural issues too. #mclschat

A4 For example, many companies will not give part-time workers more than X number of hours. #mclschat

A4 Nickel and Dimed clearly shows how you can work multiple jobs for 50 hours a week and still not make ends meet. #mclschat

Q5 What could individuals do to improve their circumstances? Or are the problems so overwhelming they can't be surmounted? #mclschat

#mclschat I think he got the discipline and structure he needed from the military and his emotional support from his grandmother & gf

@dejah_thoris did you think it was an accurate portrayal? #mclschat

Somewhat accurate. There's less on religion than I expected, but I'm further north. Also not much on grown man-on-man violence. #mclschat

#mclschat I could relate to the book. he was talking about my family :)

@LorieALong Where is your family from? #mclschat

in my time spent in Appalachian WV (with my previous job), I've seen many of the patterns he described #mclschat

i thought it was especially interesting when he talked about a generation expecting their children to do better, then finding... #mclschat

2. the cycles repeating because it's all they saw/knew - what would make them think college, etc. were even possibilities? #mclschat

Q6 What are the positive values of the culture Vance talks about in Hillbilly Elegy? #mclschat

honor, family, loyalty, community #mclschat

A6 Close family and extended kin networks. Lots of labor and financial support that social workers might undervalue. #mclschat

Q7 What does this book bring to the national conversation about poverty? Does Vance raise the tone of discourse or lower it? #mclschat

@mclsorg good question #7! in some ways I think this really gets a conversation going (popular book, WE'RE talking about it) BUT...#mclschat

A7. It IS a little depressing - does it shut down conversation, say is just the way it is? Not sure (haven't finished book yet) :) #mclschat

A7 Does he make any suggestions for fixing these issues later in the book? He critiques the culture but he's also sympathetic. #mclschat

#mclschat it promoted empathy for working class families as well as a better understanding. I don't think it has all the answers though.

A7 Maybe it's my lens, but it was more conservative than I expected. Like many of them can survive and thrive if they chose to. #mclschat

Q8 What are lessons libraries could learn from this book? What could they do to help? #mclschat

#mclschat 8. Libraries are important. If it weren't for the love of reading books and the library I'd not be where I am today. true story

A8 Safe spaces. Be more accepting of the non-offensive/non-destructive behaviors. Understand we/they might be their only resource. #mclschat

Out of time. Thank you all very much! #mclschat

#mclschat haven't tweeted in a long time!!! thanks for the conversation and goodbye!

Next month - Open Educational Resources (OER) with Jan Woodall, Director of Libraries, Ivy Tech Community College Central Indiana #mclschat