Ratings16
Average rating4.4
In November 2014, thirteen members of the Biden family gathered on Nantucket for Thanksgiving, a tradition they had been celebrating for the past forty years. It was the one constant in what had become a hectic, scrutinized, and overscheduled life. But this year felt different from all those that had come before. Joe and Jill Biden's eldest son, Beau, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor fifteen months earlier, and his survival was uncertain. "Promise me, Dad," Beau had told his father. "Give me your word that no matter what happens, you're going to be all right." Joe Biden gave him his word. The year that followed would be the most momentous and challenging in Joe Biden's extraordinary life and career. Vice President Biden traveled more than a hundred thousand miles that year, across the world, dealing with crises in Ukraine, Central America, and Iraq. When a call came from New York, or Capitol Hill, or Kyiv, or Baghdad, he responded. For twelve months, while Beau fought for and then lost his life, the vice president balanced the twin imperatives of living up to his responsibilities to his country and his responsibilities to his family. And never far away was the insistent and urgent question of whether he should seek the presidency in 2016. But even in the worst times, Biden was able to lean on the strength of his long, deep bonds with his family, on his faith, and on his deepening friendship with the man in the Oval Office, Barack Obama. Joe Biden allows readers to feel the urgency of each moment, to experience the days when he felt unable to move forward as well as the days when he felt like he could not afford to stop. This is a story of how family and friendships sustain us and how hope, purpose, and action can guide us through the pain of personal loss into the light of a new future.
Reviews with the most likes.
What a gift this book is. I read it on a flight from California back to Chicago and at one point I was crying so hard that the nice man next to me asked if I was okay. Not only is this a beautiful meditation on faith and family, but it is a window into the world of a fascinating politician - a man whose personal life affects his political life and vis versa. A lesson in the strength of vulnerability; Joe Biden sets a high bar for fatherhood and leadership.
This book is beautiful, and very moving. I've always liked Biden but definitely came away from this book filled with admiration and sorrow for him. Beau Biden seemed like an incredible man, and it's awful that his life was cut so short.