About this episode

JD Vance discusses the impact of his book 'Hillbilly Elegy' and its significance in the political landscape of the United States.

In the political history of the United States, books have had a big impact on who the public follows in elections. In 1956, John F. Kennedy published "Profiles in Courage," which sold 2.8 million copies by his death in 1963. Jimmy Carter released his title "Why Not the Best?" in 1975, the year before he was elected president. When Barack Obama first released his life story in 1995, he only sold approximately 9,000 copies. When it was re-released in 2004, he sold 4.7 million copies. President Trump's "Art of the Deal," published in 1987, sold at least 1.5 million. JD Vance was unknown in 2016 when he appeared on C-SPAN's Q&A. His book "Hillbilly Elegy" has sold over 3 million copies. Ten years later he's 42 and has been a U.S. Senator for two years and Vice President of the United States since January of 2025. Here he is from 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Guest: JD Vance

Topics covered

• political history
• impact of books
• elections
• JD Vance
• Hillbilly Elegy
• U.S. Senators
• Barack Obama

Keywords

• JD Vance
• Hillbilly Elegy
• political history
• books
• elections
• Barack Obama
• John F. Kennedy
• Donald Trump

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Hillbilly Elegy, Profiles in Courage, Why Not the Best?, Art of the Deal

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