J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance (James Donald Bowman) was born on August 2nd, 1984 and is currently 40 years old. J.D. Vance was born in Middletown, Ohio, USA. Vance attended Ohio State University where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree and Yale Law School where he received a Juris Doctor degree.

James David Vance is an American Marine Corps Veteran and the 50th vice president of the United States serving under President Donald Trump. He served as a senator from Ohio from 2023-2025 and is the first Millennial and the third youngest vice president in United States history.

His book Hillbilly Elegy was published. The book was a New York Times Bestseller in 2016 and 2017 respectively. It was also a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in 2017 and also won the Audie Award for Nonfiction the same year. The book was considered by the New York Times as one of the six best books to help understand Trump’s win. However, Vance received some negative criticism from a few Eastern Kentuckians who believed that he was never a “hillbilly” while others vouched for support for him.

In his book Hillbilly Elegy, Vance explores his upbringing as well as his family background during his childhood years in Middletown, Ohio. His family relocated to Middletown from Breathitt County after the end of the Second World War.

He explains that their Appalachian culture adored traits like love of the country and loyalty despite verbal abuse and family violence. He remembers his grandparent’s alcoholism including his mother’s history of failed relationships and drug addictions. Vance’s grandparents reunited and they became his guardians. His grandmother pushed him to become the best version of himself which resulted in Vance completing his studies at Ohio State University and earned himself a Juris Doctor degree.

Vance asks common questions about his family as well as the local people. He suggests that hillbilly culture promotes economic insecurity and social disintegration in Appalachia. He does reflect on personal experiences such as working as a cashier at a local grocery store where he witnessed welfare recipients talk on the phone when he couldn’t afford one.

Vance shows antipathy to those who profited from poor behavior as he struggled to make ends meet is showcased as a rationale for Appalachia's political swing from voting Democratic to a staunch Republican association.

Jennifer Senior of the New York Times explained that Vance’s confronting the social taboo was something to admire regardless of whether readers agreed with his conclusions. She dubbed the book as “compassionate.” Additionally, Brookings Institution noted that Hillbilly Ellegy became a national bestseller because of its raw, emotional depiction of growing up in and out of a poverty-ridden society characterized by instability and drug addictions.

The main reason Hillbilly Elegy got widespread popularity after its publication was its role in explaining Donald Trump’s rise in his Republican Party. Specifically, it explains the reasons why the white working-class voters were attracted to Trump as a political leader. J.D. Vance himself explained how his book provided a glimpse into why voters from “hillbilly” regions would support Trump.

J.D. Vance: Awards & Accolades

Vance's book, Hillbilly Elegy was nominated for the Kirkus Prize, Best Nonfiction Book, in 2016.

J.D. Vance: Lists & Other Mentions

• Hillbilly Elegy was a New York Times: #1 Nonfiction Best Seller in 2016 and 2017 and 2024.

Related Authors

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1. John Grisham, author of the Jake Brigance Series.
2. Stephen King, author of The Dark Tower Series.
3. James Patterson, author of the Alex Cross Series.
4. Paula Hawkins, author of the novel: The Girl on the Train.
5. Delia Owens, author of the novel: Where the Crawdads Sing.

J.D. Vance: F.A.Q