I am here to defend a book I have not read and a movie I have not seen: Hillbilly Elegy by J D Vance.
I apologize that I do not have enough time to be a proper literary critic and read the book myself. I might someday. I'm sure that I would enjoy it and find it interesting.
There is just so, so much I want to write about first, to tell you about.
But please, give J D Vance a chance to tell you about his people.
Because giving a biography of the kind of people who vote for Donald Trump is not a political statement.
There is more to people than their political stance.
Life is precious. Everyone's story is worthwhile.
And in this book, J D Vance tells us the story of his family.
I love hearing people tell their story.
If I weren't so busy writing about wonderful things that I want to tell you about, I would gladly read this book.
And when I hear someone tell their story, it does not matter what way they voted in 2016 and 2020.
That is just a small part of a very big life.
It is the lives of people that make voting important, not the other way around!
And so I emplore you to not consider this as a political statement to reject if you disagree with his politics, but rather a chance to get to know someone else's point of view, a chance for someone to tell their story.
A story that someone like filmmaker Ron Howard would gladly turn into a movie because Ron Howard, too, loves telling someone's story.
This is why people like me and Ron Howard write and make movies: to tell people's stories like this.
I wish I had enough time to read it myself.
But there are so, so many wonderful things I want to write to you about first!
As J D Vance tells you his story, I am trying to tell the stories of the J D Vances and in early medieval China!
One day I hope to tell you my story too!
God loves you! All of you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson
P.S. I would be negligent if I did not mention that in addition to being a worthwhile story for people like me who love stories, understanding people like J D Vance through his book could be a huge part of what heals America!
P.P.S. J D Vance has proven himself an idiot as a candidate at least once, at least with comments on TV. Forgive him. He is new to politics, he has more experience as a writer, this is a super-toxic political environment. It would take the strength of Jesus and the patience of Job not to be an idiot occasionally in that super-toxic environment.