The real theme of J.D. Vance’s and Donald Trump’s memoirs
“Hillbilly Elegy” and “The Art of the Deal” reveal a lot about who the men are—and were
“READING well”, wrote Harold Bloom, a well-read literary critic, is “the most healing of pleasures.” Apparently Bloom did not read many books by political candidates. They combine a salesman’s saccharine pushiness and the suspense of watching a second hand rotate, with prose that has been focus-grouped into a turgid blandness from which nothing resembling pleasure can be wrung. Hillary Clinton made “Hard Choices”; Joe Biden had “Promises to Keep”; Mitt Romney offered “No Apology”.
Both men at the top of the Republican ticket, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, wrote books that made them household names before seeking high office. Their bestsellers are worth rereading to understand how the authors have changed from their original printed personas.
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This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline ““Hillbilly Elegy” v “The Art of the Deal””
From the July 27th 2024 edition
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