The #3 Bestselling Audiobook of 2017 is Hillbilly Elegy: the deeply moving story of how upward mobility actually feels. Written by former marine and Yale Law School graduate J. D. Vance, this audiobook is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.
“Hillbilly Elegy is a sad and beautiful kind of reckoning. Author J.D. Vance comes to terms with his own upbringing, highlighting both working-class and poverty-stricken whites in Appalachia, the Rust Belt, and much of the nation. Vance uses his own family as a microcosm to highlight the culture, politics, and economic status of a specific group living on the margins. He covers topics ranging from education and familial bonds to addiction and health, but where Vance really shines is in telling the story of his family—a harrowing tale, to be sure, but one that is told with grace, honesty, and insight. While I don’t necessarily agree with his politics, I found the book deeply moving and important in understanding America today.”
—Hilary Gustafson, Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor, MI
The top 10 audiobook bestseller list is based on sales through independent bookstore locations in 2017.