Hillbilly Elegy, by J. D. Vance: on Families & Children

JD Vance: Working moms support families by doing "women's work"

In an HBO documentary about eastern Kentucky hill people, the patriarch of a large Appalachian family introduces himself by drawing strict lines between work acceptable for men and work acceptable for women. While it's obvious what he considers "women's work," it's not at all clear what work, if any, is acceptable for him. Apparently not paid employment, since the man has never worked a paying job in his life. Ultimately, the verdict of his own son is damning; "Daddy says he's worked in his life. Why not be straight about it. Pa? Daddy was an alcoholic. He would stay drunk, he didn't bring food home. Mommy supported her young'uns. If it hadn't been for Mommy, we'd have been dead."

JD Vance: Citing "culture" is a copout; we need policy interventions

Let's just think about what culture really means, to borrow an example from my life. One of the things I mention in the book is that domestic strife and family violence are cultural traits--they're just there, and everyone experiences them in one form or another. But to speak "culture" and then move on is a total copout, and there are public policy solutions to draw from experiences like this: how could my school have better prepared me for domestic life? how could child welfare services have [avoided] threatening me--as they did--with the promise of foster care? These are tough problems, but they're not totally immune to policy interventions. Neither are they entirely addressable by government.

JD Vance: We learn how to be a great spouse despite domestic strife

That's just one small example, obviously, and there are many more in the book. But I think this unwillingness to deal with tough issues--or worse, to pretend they'll all go away if we can hit 4 percent growth targets--is a significant failure of modern conservative politics.