JD Vance's Book Reportedly Pulled Off Library Shelves At Defense Department-Run Schools After Trump Orders

Vice President J.D. Vance was widely mocked after his best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy was among the books the Department of Defense-run schools have flagged for review after President Donald Trump's recent executive orders.

Before Vance rose to the Senate and eventually the vice presidency, he garnered fame and accolades for the book, which positioned him as a notable voice on rural America and the political ascent of Trump.

But now there are reports that it is being removed from Defense Department-run school libraries for compliance review. According to Task and Purpose:

A Feb. 6 memo to DoDEA administrators, librarians, and teachers directed a review of library books to ensure they’re in line with two of President Donald Trump’s executive orders disavowing the use of gender identities instead of sex and “ending radical indoctrination.” 

PEN America, which raises awareness for the protection of free expression in the United States and worldwide through the advancement of literature and human rights, noted that Hillbilly Elegy was among several books targeted along with actor Julianne Moore's Freckleface Strawberry, a book about a girl who learns to love her freckles.

According to Task & Purpose:

A high school student at a DoDEA school in Europe compiled a list of books pulled from their library, which the student’s parent provided to Task & Purpose. The books included both novels and non-fiction books on climate change, gender, sexuality, social media algorithms, women’s health, politics, and immigrant stories.
Pulled titles included:
 
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini
“Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by Vice President JD Vance
“Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
“An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States” by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
“Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves” by Glory Edim
“War: How Conflict Shaped Us” by Margaret MacMillan

This is consistent with the memo sent by the Defense Department instructing DoDEA librarians "to remove physical and online copies of books on gender and inequity topics and catalog them in a spreadsheet...the books will be relocated to the school’s professional collection — which is off-limits to students."

Newsweek, however, reports the book is still available to kids for checkout.

The news that Vance may be on the receiving end of the book bans he's personally championed in his capacity within the Trump administration exposed him to considerable mockery and criticism.

Beyond book removals, the department has also prohibited cultural observances, leading schools to cancel Black History Month events and take down bulletin boards featuring figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Rosa Parks.

Additionally, schools have disbanded student clubs and restricted transgender students from participating in sports or using bathrooms that match their gender identity.