Jerry Dobbins remembers a young Vance growing up in Middletown, decades before he would be sworn in as vice president. Dobbins lived two doors down from Vance's grandmother − affectionately known as "Mamaw" − and he called her a "tough bird" who pushed her grandson to do well and stay out of trouble.

JD Vance wrote about meeting his wife, Usha Chilukuri Vance, as a Yale Law School student in "Hillbilly Elegy."

JD Vance's book, Hillbilly Elegy, depicted Middletown in an intensely unflattering light. Now, in Middletown City Council and beyond, residents have clashed over how to view native son JD Vance as he is set to become the nation's next vice president.