Deer Hunting with Jesus

Bageant succeeds at what J.D. Vance allegedly accomplished with [b:Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis 27161156 Hillbilly Elegy A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J.D. Vance https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463569814l/27161156.SY75.jpg 47200486]; an honest look at small town working-class America, with an insider's insight into why they seemingly vote against their own interests. Bageant is not particularly kind towards his fellow self-professed rednecks, but his real anger is directed towards the rich and middle class - both Democrats and Republicans - for their part in maintaining “a cheap, unquestioning, and compliant labor force paying high rents and big medical bills,” and “investing in developing such a labor force by not investing in the education and quality of life for anyone but their own.” Bageant was suitably alarmed by George W. Bush's election. For his sake, I'm glad he passed before the ascendency of Trump, but I can't help but wonder what he would have said about the new depths to which we have sunk.

Bageant returns to the town of his childhood and youth after years in the big city, a cosmopolitan life, to find little has changed. The town's people are mostly high school educated, conservative, church-going, and working at high stress and low paying jobs. Bageant is both tough and gentle with his people, showing the up side of the hunting lifestyle while lambasting the propensity of the townspeople to pass on information without verifying its veracity. It's easy to see Bageant loves these people despite their flaws, despite the occasional anger with which they treat him, a hometowner to be sure, but also a heathen liberal.