Vice President JD Vance will release a new memoir this summer that details his spiritual journey and adult conversion to the Catholic faith.
The book, titled “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” is scheduled for publication on June 16 through Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. The same publishing house previously released Vance’s bestselling 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” which sold over a million copies and launched him into the national spotlight.
“The story of how I regained my faith, of course, only happened because I had lost it to begin with,” the 41-year-old vice president explained in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Tuesday’s book announcement is expected to fuel rumors about Vance’s potential White House ambitions for 2028. While the Republican vice president has stated he isn’t currently concentrating on such plans, he has suggested waiting until after the 2026 midterm elections before making any campaign decisions.
Publishing books has become a common strategy for presidential candidates, offering them media attention and opportunities to refine their political messaging before officially entering races. Several potential Democratic contenders for 2028 have already published or announced upcoming books, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
According to his publisher, Vance personally authored the 304-page “Communion,” working on the project intermittently since 2019. The book will feature content about his political career. While several vice presidents from Walter Mondale to Mike Pence have published books, Vance would be among the first in recent history to do so while actively serving in office.
HarperCollins had previously told the Associated Press in 2022 that Vance had postponed a planned religious memoir. Portions of “Communion” are based on that earlier project.
Vance has described his religious transformation as moving from Christianity to atheism before ultimately embracing Catholicism. He joined the Catholic Church in 2019 and has said his newfound faith provided him with meaning that he couldn’t find through his Yale University education or career in finance.
“Hillbilly Elegy,” which chronicled Vance’s upbringing in rural America, gained widespread readership when it was first published and became even more popular following Donald Trump’s unexpected 2016 presidential win, as Democrats turned to the book to better understand Trump’s voter appeal. Director Ron Howard later turned “Hillbilly Elegy” into a 2020 film featuring Glenn Close and Amy Adams.
Though Vance initially opposed Trump, he later became a strong supporter. He won election to the U.S. Senate representing Ohio in 2022 as a Republican, and Trump selected him as his vice presidential candidate two years later. At his inauguration, Vance became the youngest person to hold the vice presidency since Richard Nixon served under President Dwight Eisenhower during the 1950s.
The book announcement comes one day after Vance’s wife, Usha Vance, revealed she has launched a podcast titled “Storytime with the Second Lady” aimed at encouraging children’s literacy.
The Vances are parents to three young children and are expecting their fourth child, a son, in late July.
