JD Vance's memoir Communion has sold 64,000 copies in its first week and sits at No. 2 in adult nonfiction at Middletown, Ohio's library system, where 11 of 20 copies were checked out as of late July. But in the vice-president's own hometown, residents, business owners, and even a priest who baptized him have largely declined to discuss the book, with local Republican party offices unresponsive to inquiries.
A city councilman who hasn't read the book yet says it could prompt local churches to discuss faith and community, and defended the book's cover, which depicts a church that isn't actually Catholic. A bar mentioned in the memoir had a manager unaware the establishment even appeared in it, and the town's only independent bookstore has since closed.
Vance's 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy sold over 1.6 million copies and helped explain working-class support for Trump; reviewers have given this one a far cooler reception. Butler County voted 62% for Trump-Vance in 2024, but that enthusiasm hasn't translated into anyone actually wanting to talk about the sequel.
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