The Bestselling Story of JD Vance's Journey from Rags to Riches Could Be His Political Tool
This leads us to a frequently asked question: What has changed? Vance, who once wondered if Trump would be an American Hitler, is now his running mate.
Hillbillly Elegy's depiction of the American Dream may prove to be a powerful tool—or a double-edged sword—in JD Vance's political toolbox, as sales and Netflix viewing climb.
As soon as the Ohio senator was chosen to be Donald Trump's running mate in the US presidential election of 2024, his 2016 book shot back to the top of bestseller charts.
After the announcement, 200,000 copies were sold in just five days. The previous week, just 1,500 volumes had been sold. Since July 15, the number of people watching the Ron Howard-directed Netflix film adaption, which stars Amy Adams and Glenn Close, has increased by almost 1000 percent.
Both the book and the movie offer a powerful cultural narrative about the American Dream; if the viewer believes what they're saying, and ignores a couple of inconvenient truths.
The narrative of Vance's childhood in a working-class, white, impoverished household in Appalachia is told in Hillbilly Elegy. His mother, a single woman, battled addiction and frequently changed relationships.
According to the 32-year-old narrator, the young JD bemoaned the frequent passing of father figures.
Some argue about whether Vance or Middletown, Ohio, where he was raised, can truly be considered Appalachian (have a look at Reddit, if you'd like). Nevertheless, his account of a mixed-generation, immigrant family in Rust Belt America that battled drug and alcohol abuse as well as evaporating jobs ought to resonate widely in the run-up to this year's presidential election – just as it did in 2016 when Trump emerged victorious.
Voters in key swing states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Wisconsin initially used Vance's story to decipher his lack of personal responsibility in the face of challenging circumstances (his family, particularly his mother) and his own discipline and determination that led to success in the next generation.
It may also strike a chord with these voters themselves, who include conservative immigrant families as well as working-class Americans left behind by America's financialized, de-unionized, postindustrial economy. These families are pursuing the traditional immigrant narrative of realizing the American Dream.
As members of Trump's Republican Party, the latter category is frequently disregarded.
However, there are limitations to this book's resonance with American voters. Its allegory of the American Dream is powerful only when you ignore two key facts.
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