JD Vance had a movie made about his biographical book

Vance signs a copy of his book.

In 2016, Vance published his memoir, "Hillbilly Elegy," which quickly became a best-selling book. "Hillbilly Elegy" details his less than glamorous childhood, being raised by his mother and grandmother in Kentucky and Ohio, and the toll addiction takes on families.

The story takes readers through the struggles of poverty in rural and Appalachian America. A movie was ultimately made about the book, which was distributed by Netflix in 2020. Glenn Close received a nod for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role at the Academy Awards for her portrayal of Vance's grandmother. 

"I may be White, but I do not identify with the WASPs of the Northeast. Instead, I identify with the millions of working-class White Americans of Scots-Irish descent who have no college degree," Vance said in a 2016 interview about his memoir. 

"To these folks, poverty's the family tradition. Their ancestors were day laborers in the southern slave economy, sharecroppers after that, coal miners after that, and machinists and mill workers during more recent times. Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks or White trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family," he said.