Joe Biden

A very interesting and emotionally involved memoir from maybe the most likable politician of my lifetime. Real warning though - I read the last quarter of the book on the train this morning and could. Not. Stop. The. Tears. Biden is a great writer and a man of great personal integrity. Couldn't love this guy more.

I liked this book to a 5-star degree as much for Biden's message as for his personal history. It's not so much that it's a biographical magnum opus but because perhaps, like Biden, I have a certain nostalgia for the future. As contradictory as that may sound, I do get what he means. There's an incredible amount of hope in Biden's message, in the midst of today's political hopelessness, that it is so easy to plug into his message as into an electric current, and get re-energized.

I think Biden show more would have made a fine president and if the Fates had not conspired against him we would not be facing the tumult in American politics that we are today. Not that I dislike(d) Hillary Clinton: I just believe that she was the wrong person at the wrong time and in the end the political dynamics between her and Trump made an unfortunate toxic soup that resulted in chaos.

The synergy, energy, and love within the Biden clan is very refreshing. I'll admit at first there was a certain skepticism on my part: this family is so good, it makes the Waltons look like the Dillinger Gang I whispered to myself -- but I soon realized that it was my own cynicism whispering in my ear, using the present first family as a backdrop. But Biden's sincerity and authenticity won me over completely by the time I was 20 pages in.

I worry for Joe. Joe, as everyone's come to know him through the media, as their best friend, or buddy. The guy next door. The decent fellow who always does the right thing albeit he travels with his feet in his mouth at times, instead of at the end of his legs. But, that only reinforces his authenticity: a human being with all the inconsistencies and dualities not "scripted out".

There is no question in my mind that he would be a good president. Perhaps not a "great" one -- but certainly a very good one, which is far more important. Who needs "great" when you've got "good". We see where "great" has gotten the world.

The last time around, as the Fates circled, he missed his chance, and it left me within a certain nostalgia that had me humming an old S & G tune:

Sitting on a sofa on a Sunday afternoon
Going to the candidates' debate
Laugh about it, shout about it
When you've got to choose
Every way you look at this you lose

Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio
Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.
What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson
Joltin' Joe has left and gone away.

We all knew where Joe "went", but hell and damnation, why did Fate pick that moment to pick on him? I hope she doesn't make the same mistake again. I hope. At least this book has given me that hope again. show less

Although I admire and respect Joe Biden, I wasn't sure I wanted to listen to an entire book about the illness and death of his beloved son, Beau. It turns out this book is about so much more than just that. It is about that battle against cancer but it is also about Joe's political career, his time serving as Vice President to Barrack Obama. Mostly, it's about family and loyalty, and strength under adversity. It's honest and forthright and sometimes heartbreaking. He was kinder to opponents show more than some of them deserved. He didn't get into the Trump presidency.

I liked Joe Biden before I read this book, but I admire, respect, and like him even more having read it. Mr. Biden read his own book, and although it didn't come across as read by a professional narrator, it was still very well done. You could hear in his voice when the reading was especially hard on him. I'm very glad I took a few hours to listen. show less

What an enjoyable, fun, and enlightening read! I loved this book! I loved it almost as much as Leslie Knope loves Joe Biden. Jeff Wilser did a wonderful job breaking down the wit and wisdom from Vice President Biden's life, starting as a child going all the way past his bromance with President Obama. It's not always sugarcoated but it is honest, moving and inspiring. From his personal life to his political career, Joe Biden is a man who lives by his words and actions. It made me re-think show more everything I thought I knew about Biden and appreciate his contribution to American politics and society even more. A must read!! show less