A few years back, Hillbilly Elegy, A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, by J.D. Vance, created quite a buzz. I read it and I believe that it deserves the acclaim. If you haven’t yet picked it up, it’s the author’s account of his family travails and his journey out of poverty in Appalachia.
This article offers a provocative commentary that ties together the book, fallen humanity’s tendency — in every place and in every age — to avoid responsibility, and Mary’s open-hearted fiat when the Archangel Gabriel came calling.