J.D. Vance is an Ohio raised author, whose 2016 memoir about his childhood in the state's southern corridor has been on the New York Times Best-Seller list -- for more than 40 weeks.
"Hillbilly Elegy" describes a tightly-knit Appalachian culture that promotes close family ties; but is also plagued by substance abuse, and domestic violence.
And yes - it's being turned into a movie.
The Middletown native offered the welcoming address at the Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank's policy summit on housing, human capital and inequality this morning...