Promise Me, Dad
A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller
From President Joe Biden, Promise Me Dad is his deeply moving memoir about the year that would forever change both a family and a country.
“Biden splices a heartbreaking story with an election story and a foreign affairs story. And in so doing, he offers something for everyone, no matter which strand draws you in.”—The New York Times Book Review
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. The Thanksgiving holiday was a much-needed respite, a time to connect, a time to reflect on what the year had brought, and what the future might hold. 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.
Promise Me, Dad chronicles the year that followed, which would be the most momentous and challenging in Joe Biden’s extraordinary life and career. As 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—“Joe, I need your help”—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.
The year brought real triumph and accomplishment, and wrenching pain. 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.
Writing with poignancy and immediacy, 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 book written not just by the president, but by a father, grandfather, friend, and husband. Promise Me, Dad 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.
Customer Reviews
A Story of Family, Country, and Duty
It seems a requirement that today’s political candidates must write a book, but this one goes much deeper, with a beautiful tribute to Biden’s talented son, Beau. It’s also a story of the strength of family and devotion created by dedicated people determined to support and love each other. Joe Biden is not perfect, but he strives to do the right thing and here he discusses how he thinks. This book deepened my admiration for him and his family. We should all be so lucky to have people like this looking out for us.
Promise Me,Dad
Excellent narrative of the political and personal accomplishments and heartaches of the Vice President. Throughout the telling I marveled at the fortitude and perseverance of Joe Biden as he experienced perhaps the worst trauma a parent can endure. Throughout this period of time he expertly served his country and forged successes only to have to confront the reality that his son was losing his battle with brain cancer and his subsequent death.
C’mon man!
It made no sense. Appears to have been written by a child.