Two major book platforms have limited or disabled user reviews of Vice President JD Vance's new memoir, 'Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith', following a wave of negative feedback. Amazon restricted reviews to verified purchasers only, while Goodreads, which it owns, disabled reviews entirely with a message stating that 'rating this book is temporarily unavailable.'
The book, published by HarperCollins on June 16, details Vance's conversion to Catholicism and is his second work after 'Hillbilly Elegy'. As of Friday, Amazon showed only seven reviews: six five-star and one two-star. Goodreads previously displayed numerous one-star critiques, including comments such as 'He does not uphold Christian values' and 'Save your time and money.'
Goodreads' guidelines state that ratings are removed only in specific situations, such as when users rate books based on factors irrelevant to the content or artificially inflate or deflate the average rating. The restrictions come amid reports that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been building ties with President Donald Trump.
Media reviews have also been critical. The Wall Street Journal described the book as 'part religious memoir, part campaign book' with 'egregious sloppiness,' while The Cut called it 'banal' and noted Vance's 'contempt for liberals.' Vance, who is on a nationwide promotional tour, defended the book on 'The View' as 'way less political than you might think,' though much of the discussion focused on defending Trump's agenda.
The Independent has contacted Amazon and Goodreads for comment.
