JD Vance Keeps Copycatting Feminist Book Titles
Vance's newly announced book shares the same title as a bell hooks book from 2002. And this isn't the first time that's happened...
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Who would have thought JD Vance would be so inspired by a feminist trailblazer? People can contain multitudes, I suppose.
On Tuesday, Vance announced his new come-to-Jesus book, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, will be out in June, detailing his journey (spoiler!) “back to faith” and his conversion to Catholicism. And the internet is already pointing out several blunders with the book cover, including the fact that it shares the same title as a book from feminist writer bell hooks. Coincidence? Maybe not, considering his first book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” also bore a similar title to one of hooks’ books.
In 2002, hooks published “Communion: The Female Search For Love,” which explores female companionship and sisterhood within a patriarchal society—so it’s only fitting that Vance would also co-opt this name for his latest cash grab. Is this mere parallel thinking? I’m choosing to believe that he is a huge fan, rather than the other, more likely option, which is that he is appropriating IP from a prominent black, feminist voice.
His first book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” was published in 2016 and subsequently brought this bobblehead into the political sphere. In the memoir, he recounted his upbringing in Appalachia, where we were cursed with knowledge of a certain story involving a couch…
The book and its subsequent film faced criticism for perpetuating negative stereotypes about Appalachian culture and blaming poverty on individual failure rather than systemic issues. Its title also echoes hooks’ 2012 poetry collection, “Appalachian Elegy,” which reflects on her own Appalachian upbringing.
Someone sent me this.
— Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd.bsky.social) April 2, 2026 at 9:01 AM
And since we’re being picky, people also pointed out that the church on Vance’s cover is actually Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Virginia. Methodist…so not a Catholic church. Did he think he could just look up a stock image of a rural church and slap it on the cover? Not off to a great start for this presumed 2028 presidential run…
Despite all the blunders, the actual contents of the book strike me as…interesting, considering he spends so much time with the devil. In terms of Vance’s “spiritual journey,” I seem to recall something about Jesus helping the poor and welcoming neighbors, so he clearly still has a ways to go.
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