When J.D. Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy was reported in the spring of 2016, it struck a chord with both liberals and conservatives and quickly became a national hit.

In a review for the New York Times, author Jennifer Senior referred to the book as “a compassionate, insightful analysis of the white psychology that helps guide the politics of insurgency.”

Almost overnight, Vance became a prominent voice on cable news, bringing attention to the struggles of working-class white Americans, primarily in Appalachia, from southern New York to northern Alabama and Georgia. These stories played a key role in President Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton, aided by Trump’s staunch support of the coal industry and Clinton’s “basket of sadness” comments about her opponent’s supporters.

After Vance was nominated as Trump’s 2024 running mate, Hillbilly Elegy returned to the best-seller list and the 2020 film of the same name rose into the top 10 on Netflix. But some critics have also charged that the work portrays the Appalachian community in a negative light; some say Vance views them as lazy and depressed and that their struggles with drugs, poverty, and domestic violence are their own.

Vance’s supporters believe his book is an inspiring story about overcoming extreme poverty. They acknowledge that his memoir is not intended to represent everyone; it is his personal account of growing up in Ohio during a time of economic and social crisis, and it provides a wealth of information about the issues facing the poor in America.

Here’s what you need to know about Hillbilly Elegy and why its author has stirred controversy in the area.

In the book, Vance writes about growing up in Middletown, Ohio, where he experienced a childhood filled with poverty, violence, and his mother’s drug addiction. However, Vance’s family hails from Jackson, Kentucky, where his grandparents “Mamaw” and “Papaw” were born, and it is from there that Vance gets his personality.

Hillbilly Elegy was created in the 1980s, almost a decade after the collapse of the American steel industry. The economic crisis left many people, including members of the Vance family, unemployed and homeless.