Other than Chicago native Pope Leo XIV, Vice President JD Vance is probably the nation’s most well-known Catholic figure. And, as Vance’s new book shows, he is not afraid to make his faith a major facet of his public persona — something that would have been taboo just a few years ago.

It was only 100 years ago that Catholics were persecuted alongside African and Jewish-Americans by the Ku Klux Klan. In more recent times, American Catholics have come to hold a unique position in American political life.