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A review by lucysmith13
Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This is the second political memoir I've read in the past couple of years, and I'm really starting to enjoy the genre. Even if you don't necessarily agree with Joe Biden's politics, this is a worthy read, giving insight into the life and work of a vice president and American politics in general. It's also an honest account of the toll that unexpected tragedy can have on a family.
Biden's memoir is extremely easy to read; he's an eloquent and articulate writer, explaining his thoughts clearly and simply but not afraid to add in a little humour (His mother and the VP call from Obama stands out in particular.). This is especially important when he tackles increasingly complex subjects, such as political issues and protects in Ukraine, the rise of ISIL in Iraq and supporting Central American nations to establish more comprehensive and stable government departments. Regardless of your political persuasion, you can't help but come away with respect for Biden's intelligence, desire to serve people, solve problems and ultimately help people to help themselves resolve their situations. People matter to Biden, and everyone who has worked with or for him is named in full throughout, making the book also feel like a heartfelt and public thank you to those people for their support and time.
The political narrative is highly engaging and interspersed with Biden's personal struggles: wrestling with whether not he wants to be a vice president, indecision about running for the presidency himself after Obama's second term and dealing with the cancer diagnosis and subsequent death of his oldest son Beau. The descriptions of family time and Beau's illness remind the reader of the sacrifices made by those who want to help others through political means, with privacy a major issue for Beau and Joe. It's heart wrenching and raw in places, but ultimately the focus is on the changes Beau was able to effect, the people he helped and the importance of carrying and looking to the future with family support. The grief is real, and at the end, Biden decides 2016 is not his year to run, which makes his eventual decision to run in 2020 now seem even more notable and underlines the strength of his feeling about needing to do it.
Biden's memoir is extremely easy to read; he's an eloquent and articulate writer, explaining his thoughts clearly and simply but not afraid to add in a little humour (His mother and the VP call from Obama stands out in particular.). This is especially important when he tackles increasingly complex subjects, such as political issues and protects in Ukraine, the rise of ISIL in Iraq and supporting Central American nations to establish more comprehensive and stable government departments. Regardless of your political persuasion, you can't help but come away with respect for Biden's intelligence, desire to serve people, solve problems and ultimately help people to help themselves resolve their situations. People matter to Biden, and everyone who has worked with or for him is named in full throughout, making the book also feel like a heartfelt and public thank you to those people for their support and time.
The political narrative is highly engaging and interspersed with Biden's personal struggles: wrestling with whether not he wants to be a vice president, indecision about running for the presidency himself after Obama's second term and dealing with the cancer diagnosis and subsequent death of his oldest son Beau. The descriptions of family time and Beau's illness remind the reader of the sacrifices made by those who want to help others through political means, with privacy a major issue for Beau and Joe. It's heart wrenching and raw in places, but ultimately the focus is on the changes Beau was able to effect, the people he helped and the importance of carrying and looking to the future with family support. The grief is real, and at the end, Biden decides 2016 is not his year to run, which makes his eventual decision to run in 2020 now seem even more notable and underlines the strength of his feeling about needing to do it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer