Joe Biden

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

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

I read this in the hopes of learning more about the candidate in his own words. It actually made me like him less. He comes across as very privileged and frequently condescending. His personal tragedies are horrible, but his political career was built through steam room introductions and private lunches. He tries to make it sound like he worked so hard to get himself where he is, but at the same time jokes about people saying he wasn’t a hard worker and he just knew how to charm people. He show more also spends a ton of time justifying past behavior, like a plagiarism scandal that ruined his presidential campaign in the ‘80s, and sounds so defensive. It left me feeling cold. show less

Promise Me, Dad is Joe Biden’s memoir about his son Beau’s struggle with and ultimately death from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Biden also interlaces what is happening with his job as Vice President of the United States during that time period. Most of that work was dealing with foreign policy issues, including Russia and the Ukraine.

Biden’s family is extremely close, which makes their journey with Beau that much more heartbreaking. Beau was beloved and admired by show more pretty much everyone he came into contact with during his life. The title comes from what Beau said repeatedly to Joe, “Promise me, Dad that you’ll be okay. Promise me, Dad.” Beau was the one dying yet he was more worried about his dad his own well-being. Biden narrates the book himself and you can hear the love and emotion in his voice throughout the book when he talks about Beau.

Biden discusses his dilemma of whether or not to run for president in the 2016 election and why it took him so long to decide not to run. When he talks about his interactions with Vladimir Putin and his other accomplishments, it’s clear that he’s proud of his work as Vice President – as he should be. He says that he had much more responsibility than most of the previous vice presidents. Something about the way he touts his achievements makes me think he may be talking himself up in preparation to run for president in 2020. Do it Joe!

I thought Promise Me, Dad was an excellent combination of both a personal and a political memoir. The Biden family dynamic is inspiring – now I want to do everything I can to make sure my kids stay close to each other and my husband and me as adults. Even though it’s probably clear that I’m a Biden fan, I think people of all political persuasions will enjoy this book, because at its heart, it’s about love and family. show less