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German Publisher Stops All Printing of JD Vance’s Book Hillbilly Elegy
jonathanturley.org ^ | JULY 29, 2024 | Jonathan Turley

Posted on 07/29/2024 7:22:25 AM PDT by Red Badger

JD Vance is a marked man. After accepting the nomination for vice president, Vance has been the subject of endless media attacks. Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris even questioned his “loyalty” to the country despite his serving as a Marine in the Iraq War. Yet, one of the most chilling attacks came from Germany where the publishing house Ullstein Buchverlage has stopped printing the sold-out German translation of Hillbilly Elegy, his 2016 autobiography.

As we have discussed previously in this country, it is the modern left’s equivalent of book burning. After all, why burn books when you can simply prevent their being printed under blacklisting campaigns?

In this country, we have seen the left successfully force book bans for writers and even justices who espouse opposing viewpoints. We have seen actual calls for book burning recently (here and here).

Ullstein is facing a high demand for Vance’s best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy, but has refused to print more copies due to his political viewpoints (unrelated to the book).

First published in 2016 and made into a movie in 2020, the book returned to the top position on The New York Times‘ bestseller list after Trump chose Vance as his running mate.

HarperCollins is rushing to print more books to meet the demand.

Some in the United States are already balking at the selling of any book by Vance. Seven Stories Press wrote, “Seven Stories Press is extremely thrilled to have never published JD Vance.”

Ullstein published the German translation of Hillbilly Elegy in 2017 and held the rights to reprints.

The company cited Vance’s allegiance with Trump and his politics as the reason in a statement to German media:

“At the time of its publication, the book made a valuable contribution to understanding the drifting apart of US society…In the meantime, he is officially acting alongside him and advocating an aggressively demagogic, exclusionary policy.”

German author Gerd Buurmann posted a mocking response that we should be happy that Ullstein had just thrown Vance’s book out of its catalogue and not into the fire – a reference to the notorious Nazi book burnings of the 1930s.

Other Germans have raised the same objections and referenced the painful history of book bans and burnings in Germany under the Nazis.

German readers want to read the book, which Ullstein acknowledged is one of the most influential works of this generation. However, because the company disagrees with his political viewpoints, it moved to block others from reading the book.

We have seen similar campaigns leading to the banning or burning of books by figures like JK Rowling because of her opposition to some transgender policies. The left now protests any programs on Rowling’s work and opposes the selling of her enormously popular Harry Potter series or even video games based on the series. When authors have defended her right to be published, they have also been subjected to cancel campaigns.

Yet, Ullstein’s decision is particularly chilling as a publishing house. Again, we have seen editors at publishing houses sign petitions to bar books by conservative figures like Justice Amy Coney Barrett from being published.

In 1933, thousands of books by Jewish and leftist writers were burned throughout Germany. Publishing houses further banned the printing of these books. The books were announced as corrupting the minds of German citizens. Many books were banned or burned on the basis of the authors being Jewish or known socialists or anarchists.

Now the left has developed a taste for censorship and blacklisting. Editors and publishing houses are blacklisting those with conservative or libertarian views as forms of dangerous viewpoints or disinformation.

Ullstein will, of course, not stop people from reading the work of JD Vance. While it may make it more difficult for Germans to find copies, ideas like water have a way of finding their way out. Blacklisting and censorship have not succeeded in killing a single idea. What it does is reveal the true character and values of those who want to prevent others from hearing opposing viewpoints.


TOPICS: Books/Literature; Conspiracy; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: defundnato; germany; hillbillyelegy; jdvance; nazibookbans; trumpsvp; ullsteinbuchverlage; ullsteinverlag
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1 posted on 07/29/2024 7:22:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Basically burning books again.


2 posted on 07/29/2024 7:23:34 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (It will be Michelle.)
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To: Red Badger

I was going to give this book a pass not my cup of tea, but now I’ll try giving it a read...if it makes the Left go Hmmm, that’s enough for me.


3 posted on 07/29/2024 7:25:03 AM PDT by The Louiswu (Pray for Peace in the world.)
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To: Red Badger

Hey ya German Morons why don’t you put on a book burning?!


4 posted on 07/29/2024 7:31:53 AM PDT by TalBlack (I We have a Christian duty and a patriotic duty. God help us.)
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To: The Louiswu

Read about cutting off the chicken’s head in the front yard of the Ohio suburb.


5 posted on 07/29/2024 7:32:02 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Red Badger
The movie from 1966 has a Teutonic flavor.

6 posted on 07/29/2024 7:34:08 AM PDT by Waverunner
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To: Red Badger

“Ullstein is facing a high demand for Vance’s best-selling book Hillbilly Elegy, but has refused to print more copies due to his political viewpoints (unrelated to the book).”

Thus always with the left. It’s politics first. Even before $$$.


7 posted on 07/29/2024 7:34:16 AM PDT by irishjuggler
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To: Waverunner

Cyril Cusack was such a fantastic actor. Also, to his credit, a pro-life activist.


8 posted on 07/29/2024 7:35:41 AM PDT by irishjuggler
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To: The Louiswu
I am within a few hours of completing "Hillbilly Elegy" right now and would report that it provides a huge amount of backstory on Vance and how he became who he is today.

I would attribute his success to the influence of his grandmother and the USMC. The adult influences in his young life, his tumultuous childhood, military experience, and time at Yale Law were loaded with opportunities for Vance to gain a very broad (and rare) perspective on American life.

9 posted on 07/29/2024 7:36:06 AM PDT by RoosterRedux (Take Trump off ballots. Fail. Take his money. Fail. Put Him in jail. Fail. Assassinate him. Fail.)
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To: Red Badger

LOL...Old habits die hard ..


10 posted on 07/29/2024 7:38:05 AM PDT by PerConPat (The politician is an animal which can sit on a fence and yet keep both ears to the ground.- Mencken)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

I remember my grandfather doing it in the back yard in SE Michigan near Toledo, but in farm country. Good eatin’.


11 posted on 07/29/2024 7:38:06 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Red Badger

Germans being Germans, book burning and socialism is in their blood.


12 posted on 07/29/2024 7:38:46 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: Red Badger

It’s kinda hard to do this in an Ebook world LOL


13 posted on 07/29/2024 7:39:38 AM PDT by GaltMeister (All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.)
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To: Red Badger

Scratch a German....


14 posted on 07/29/2024 7:40:01 AM PDT by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2024... RETURN OF THE JEDI. )
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To: Red Badger

It's starts with books. It doesn't end there.


15 posted on 07/29/2024 7:40:08 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (לעזאזל עם חמאס)
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To: Red Badger

What the hell do the Nazis have to do with the Banana lady’s coronation?


16 posted on 07/29/2024 7:40:55 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (My Pronouns are : He Be, She Be, We Be, and HeBeJeebees.)
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To: Red Badger

I went to the far-left Barnes and Noble a couple weeks ago looking for that book. None to be had. I went back on last Friday. They had a table load of them right up front.


17 posted on 07/29/2024 7:43:50 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (My Pronouns are : He Be, She Be, We Be, and HeBeJeebees.)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

I cut off about 300 chicken heads every Spring in Iowa. Very common activity for small town life.


18 posted on 07/29/2024 7:45:56 AM PDT by mad_as_he$$
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To: Red Badger

I am not condoning it, but I am sure there’s a pdf version out there that circulates in Germany as a result of this censorship.


19 posted on 07/29/2024 7:47:54 AM PDT by paudio (Liberals teach Whites about guilt and shame much better than Christian churches do...)
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To: Red Badger

I am not condoning it, but I am sure there’s a pdf version out there that circulates in Germany as a result of this censorship.


20 posted on 07/29/2024 7:47:54 AM PDT by paudio (Liberals teach Whites about guilt and shame much better than Christian churches do...)
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