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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
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 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.
Biden’s family is extremely close, which makes their journey with Beau that much more heartbreaking. Beau was beloved and admired by 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.
An Audible listen- 3.5 stars. Started this on a recommendation and was interested to hear about the Biden family and Beau’s cancer diagnosis. There were some very powerful moments in this story, particularly around Beau’s passing. I also learned a lot about politics and Biden’s work as VP (was in middle school when he was elected, okay?). An interesting book, but the masculine, patriotic lens, although not unexpected, was not my favorite.
Well written and made the foreign policy, which can be pretty dense, fairly easy to understand. Probably closer to 4.5 stars.
2.5 Stars - I genuinely like Joe Biden, but this book rubbed me a bit the wrong way. It felt like he was laying the groundwork for 2020 by throwing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton under the bus. And while it was a honest compilation of his year, the juxtaposition between Beau's illness and political crises, and the frequent jumping between the two topics, was jarring and shortchanged the impact.
I listened to this when if first came out in 2018, and listened again last week. The book makes me believe that Joe Biden is the president for this time, and that his understanding of grief and his empathy is exactly what our country needs. It was also weird hearing Biden read about his work in Ukraine, the book itself bearing witness (in 2017, far before "the perfect call" from Trump) that Biden was trying to get rid of corruption in Ukraine. The book is so well written, so thoughtful, and it makes me realize how much empathy, kindness, and a love for family and others has been missing the last four years.
I can’t imagine doing such a public high stress job while also watching the decline of a beloved son. His tight-knit family, as well as a strong faith made a way through his loss. I loved getting to see the loving dynamics of the family, even though I knew the heart break that was coming. I also appreciated getting a little more on what motivates the now president’s public service.
First half was very strong. I was weeping on planes and smiling throughout. The second half? Full of "be strong" and "don't cry" statements that disappoint me. You're allowed to grieve. Strength looks no one way. I can imagine this type of book, with traditional family ideals or religion, might find this book inspiring but it felt like it was missing a great deal of honesty. Life can be dirty and difficult. This didn't show that any more than a chicken soup for the soul book.
