WASHINGTON — Bestselling author Vice President JD Vance is returning to craft that catapulted him to national fame, announcing a new book due in late spring that reflects on his religious journey.
“Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” which Vance, 41, has been writing since 2019, will describe his conversion to Catholicism and include tidbits about his experiences in politics and as a father.
“I’ve been writing this book for a long time, and I’m honored to finally be able to share the full story with you all,” Vance announced about his 304-page memoir. “Communion is about my personal journey and how I found my way back to faith.”
It’s rare for a vice president to release a book they’ve personally written in the middle of a term. Vance’s recent predecessors, Mike Pence and Kamala Harris, both published books after they were out of office.
Vance, who drew national attention with his 2016 bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy,” in which he detailed his struggles growing up in Appalachia with a drug addicted mother, is teaming up with HarperCollins Publisher again for the memoir.
“The story of how I regained my faith, of course, only happened because I had lost it to begin with,” the veep explained.
“The interesting question that hangs over this book, and over my mind, is why I ever strayed from the path. Why the Christian faith of my youth failed to properly take root. I’m glad I found my way back to the Church. I learned much along the way.”
Vance, who was raised in a Protestant household, became an atheist before converting to Catholicism in 2019.
His last book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” sold over 3 million copies and was adapted into a 2020 movie directed by Ron Howard. Six years after that book hit shelves, Vance ran for Ohio Senate, and President Trump later tapped him as veep.
Other prominent speculated 2028 presidential hopefuls, such as Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D), and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), have all released or are set to release books.
Oftentimes, aspiring candidates will publish books before launching a presidential campaign. But Vance has publicly stated that he’s more focused on the 2026 midterm elections rather than 2028.
News about “Communion” comes a day after his wife, Usha, launched her podcast “Storytime with the Second Lady” to encourage children to read.
The second couple has three children, and Usha is pregnant with a fourth.
