After J. D. Vance

Heartland by Sarah Smarsh

Hillbilly Elegy struck a nerve because it refused to romanticize poverty or apologize for hard truths about personal responsibility. Sarah Smarsh's Heartland delivers that same raw honesty from the Midwest—wheat country struggles, generational poverty, and the kind of resilience that doesn't wait for rescue. If you connected with Vance's refusal to sugarcoat dysfunction or play victim, this is your next read.

Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild

Hillbilly Elegy captured the righteous anger of America's heartland, where resilient folks battle economic ruin and cultural erosion through sheer willpower and traditional values. Like Vance's memoir, this recommendation dives into the mourning of conservative whites feeling betrayed by progress, offering cathartic validation without pushing reforms. It's the voyeuristic peek into overlooked lives that affirms biases against urban liberalism and welfare dependency.