Usha Vance, a very clever woman with questionable taste in men, likes to keep busy. While lesser mortals (like me) waste our one wild and precious life watching Love Is Blind, the second lady has several self-improvement projects going. She’s brushing up on her German! She’s hosting a literacy podcast! She’s rereading the classics! And of course, she’s juggling four young children and the demands of being the vice-president’s spouse. How does she do it all? With the help of taxpayer dollars, I suspect. It’s easier to get some reading done when you’re being helicoptered everywhere and, as JD Vance has boasted, “People go to the grocery store for me.” But I’m not here to complain about how much the Vance family costs the taxpayer. I’m here to share an important, and only slightly unhinged, theory. The second lady is notoriously private; people are constantly trying to figure out what she’s thinking. Now, I think I’ve figured it out. While Usha herself is not an open book, I reckon her bookshelf – or rather, her Goodreads account – is trying to tell us something. Either that or she’s trolling us. What have I done? I forced my kid to listen to Usha Vance’s podcast – now she’s a fan | Arwa Mahdawi Read more Remember, for example, when JD tried to mansplain Catholicism to the pope back in April? (Pope Leo XIV, to be clear; Pope Francis died the year before, one day after meeting Vance.) As all that was happening, Usha picked up Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather. Which, to be wildly simplistic, is a book about a French missionary priest tasked with imposing order and Catholic norms on a church in New Mexico, where some other naughty priests have gone a bit rogue. Make of that what you will. Then there’s all the recent chatter about whether JD Vance is going to be Trump’s heir. Per her Goodreads account, Usha has just finished reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves. That book is about a member of Rome’s imperial family who survives vicious palace politics because everyone underestimates him. All the infighting and murder mean he’s the last man standing and becomes emperor almost by accident. Is that a reflection on her husband’s political future? Perhaps! Now that Usha is done with Graves, she’s reading the nonfiction book Medieval People by Eileen Power. Perhaps to prepare for the dark ages her husband is helping drag the country back to. “Arwa,” you might say, “you’re reading way too much into this!” Of course I am. I have a degree in English literature: that’s three years of explaining how doorknobs in Jane Austen novels represent the hollowness of colonialism. Nevertheless, I think I may be on to something. Let’s just hope Usha’s next choice of reading material isn’t Annie Jacobsen’s Nuclear War: A Scenario. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here
Frequently Asked Questions
Heres a FAQ based on the article about Usha Vances Goodreads account
1 Who is Usha Vance
Usha Vance is the wife of JD Vance the Republican vicepresidential nominee in the 2024 US election Shes a lawyer who has worked in both corporate law and as a law clerk
2 What is Goodreads
Goodreads is a popular website and app where people track the books theyve read rate and review them and share reading lists with others
3 What did the article find on Usha Vances Goodreads account
The columnist looked through the books Usha Vance has logged and reviewed and argued that her reading list offers revealing clues about her views tastes and political leaningssometimes in tension with her public image
4 Why does the article say shes hard to read
Because she keeps a low public profile and says little in interviews so people find her difficult to pin down politically and personally Her Goodreads activity is presented as one of the few places her opinions show through
5 What kinds of books are on her account
A mixincluding fantasy and popular fiction books on politics and society and titles that sparked discussion about her political views The article highlights specific entries it finds telling
6 Is her Goodreads account public
YesGoodreads profiles are public by default unless a user changes their privacy settings which is why the columnist was able to browse her shelves and reviews
7 Why do people care about a politicians family members reading list
Because books people choose and rate can hint at their values and beliefs and because spouses of candidates are often scrutinized for signals about the candidates worldview
8 Is it fair to draw conclusions from someones Goodreads account
Its debatable Reading lists can be revealing but theyre also partialpeople read for many reasons and a shelf doesnt capture everything a person thinks
9 Whats the practical takeaway for readers
Be mindful that your Goodreads activity is public by default If you want privacy adjust your account settingsand remember that ratings and reviews can be seen and interpreted by anyone
10 Can I look at her account myself
Yes if its still publicyou
