Lithuanian publisher refuses to sell JD Vance’s book because of his attitude towards Ukraine

06.03.2025

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Lithuanian publishing house Sofoklis has withdrawn the book “Hillbilly Elegy” by American politician, author, attorney, and the 50th vice president of the United States of America James David Vance from sale, as announced on its Facebook page.

Representatives of the publishing house explained that the book was suspended from sale “until there are changes in US foreign policy toward Ukraine.” Sofoklis also called on readers to support Ukraine, in particular through the volunteer organization Blue/Yellow, and to pay attention to books by Ukrainian authors published by the publishing house, among which are “Klaus Otto Bach’s Year of Debauchery” by Yaroslava Lytvyn and “Carbide” by Andriy Lyubka.

The decision to stop selling Vance’s book was made against the backdrop of media reports that the United States may suspend military aid to Ukraine. According to Bloomberg, Donald Trump’s suspension of all military aid to Ukraine applies even to those arms shipments already in transit, including air defense missiles, HIMARS ammunition, and artillery. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that the government has no official information about the termination of US military aid.

“Hillbilly Elegy” is a memoir by J. D. Vance published in 2016 about his childhood and the Appalachian values of his family from Kentucky, who are among the “hillbillies,” or residents of rural or mountain areas of the United States, in particular the Appalachi. Vance writes about the traditional values of this region, such as patriotism and family cohesion, as well as social problems, such as poverty, violence and unemployment.

The book became a bestseller in the United States after Vance’s interview for the American Conservative in 2016. Its popularity grew even more after the release of Ron Howard’s movie of the same name in 2020.