JD Vance has been making the rounds, selling his new book; Communion.
I first heard of this on Mike Rowe’s podcast. I have to say, I give him props for holding a conversation. That one drifted a bit into Mike Rowe’s thing, namely jobs in the trades. Coming from humble roots, Vance had a bit to say about that as well. It was a good interview. So I picked up the book. Why not? His other one, Hillbilly Elegy, was really good, and was made into a really good movie. Glen Close had his old hillbilly granny down pat. I’ve seem more than a few in my life.
I was through the thing when he appeared on Joe Rogan. That was a great talk, with almost none of it about the book. And Vance didn’t pump it that hard either. He simply went with the flow. Like the Rowe podcast, it was a great listen. Turns out, it gave some of the nobs of Conservative, Inc. the vapors. For instance, our own little chickenhawk didn’t think it was good at all. Didn’t listen to it. Can’t stand the dude. And honestly, who gives two shits what that (other) malignant dwarf thinks about anything.
Trouble is, the vast majority of the Rogan-Vance podcast wasn’t about the economy, pocketbook issues, or the middle class. It centered on Iran, Jeffrey Epstein, Israel, traitorous “hawks,” disloyal Republicans, and whether or not space aliens are demons (or maybe angels).
Trouble is, the vast majority of the Rogan-Vance podcast wasn’t about the economy, pocketbook issues, or the middle class. It centered on Iran, Jeffrey Epstein, Israel, traitorous “hawks,” disloyal Republicans, and whether or not space aliens are demons (or maybe angels). – Scott Pinsker
So what?
He was there to hock a book. He’s a normal dude that can hold a normal conversation like a dude about a number of different things. He speaks plainly. If something is bullshit, He says it’s bullshit. It’s a descriptive term everyone knows. I like the dude. He’s not some boomer political automaton. When someone like Gavin Newsome goes into politicianspeak, I tune out. He’s saying nothing.
Besides, I already read the damn thing.
Overall, it had the read of what it was. On the back of Hillbilly Elegy in 2017, he was given a book deal for another book. This one is it. Took him forever to write. These things often read as like a term paper assignment. A lot of them could be a long article that the author stretches for a few hundred pages. I’ve been duped by more than one of these kinds of books.
That said, this one is about his conversion to Catholicism, something I know a bit about as I teach those classes at the Church. He started evangelical, of sorts, went through a period of atheism, then after marrying and having a kid and started seeking. He ended up converting to Catholicism, for a number of reasons. About a third of this book is this journey. The rest of it is taken up with a number of exercises reconciling his new faith with various political positions as well as his job. We learn a lot of interesting tidbits along the way. There are more than a few great quotes from the grandmother, and we learn a bit about his actual dad and grandfather. Both had a larger role in his life than the other book let on.
He’s a good writer, and it’s an easy read. But he lost me about halfway through. After that, I was finishing it mostly because I bought the thing.
It was interesting enough, but like I said, it felt like he ran out of stuff to say.
The two podcasts – Rowe and Rogan, were far better. You learn more hearing him talk openly than reading. All in all, I like the guy. He’s focused on things that interest me, and not as political shtick. He’s a breath of fresh air for a politician.
Inspected By Pat 