JD Vance's Memoir Was More Responsible For His Marriage To Usha Than We Knew

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Before JD Vance's wife Usha Vance became known across the nation as the second lady, she was working at an Ohio law firm. And before that, Usha was a Yale law school student. In fact, it was at Yale that Usha first met JD. It was also there that the future vice president got an assignment that would end up inspiring JD to write his bestselling memoir "Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir Of A Family And Culture In Crisis." Usha was with him as he was working out the details of the story of his harsh upbringing in Ohio, and it helped to bring them closer together as a couple.

In an interview with The Free Press, Usha delved into what it was like to read JD's book as he was writing it, recalling, "It was like the serial unveiling of — not secrets, it's not that he had been concealing it from me — but he was sort of telling me this story in real time that he had never really told anyone." There are plenty of things that couples should talk about before getting married, and having a good insight into what your partner endured prior to meeting you can help you better understand who they are now and provide context for why they behave the way they do. 

"It was very helpful and also exciting, right?" Usha confirmed. "This was the person that I loved, and I was learning more about him every day as he was remembering things that he hadn't really thought about or certainly hadn't talked about in a very long time."

JD and Usha Vance come from very different backgrounds with Usha growing up as the child of Indian immigrants in San Diego. The second lady explained during her chat with The Free Press that because of their differences, sometimes she and JD didn't always see eye to eye. So it sounds like his book helped bridge that divide. In "Hillbilly Elegy," JD referred to Usha as his "Yale spirit guide." The future Ohio senator reaching out for help with a social class related issue is included in a notable scene in the book, as well as in the movie adaptation directed by Ron Howard, in which JD is played by Gabriel Basso and Usha by Freida Pinto (she talks him through what silverware to use at a fancy dinner).

As second lady, Usha has continued to publicly support JD, even if she doesn't post much on social media or give many interviews. She has traveled with her husband on official trips to Greenland, Italy, and India thus far. Despite those appearances, however, there are still plenty of signs that Usha and JD don't see eye to eye on everything. With the pressure of conducting a relationship in the public eye, the two will have to stay open with each other, harkening back to when the future vice president shared his memoir in progress with Usha.