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On Life and Politics
Random House
August 2007
On Sale: July 31, 2007
400 pages
ISBN: 1400065364
EAN: 9781400065363
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction Political
As a United States senator from Delaware since 1973, Joe
Biden has been an intimate witness to the major events of
the past four decades and a relentless actor in trying to
shape recent American history. He has seen up close the
tragic mistake of the Vietnam War, the Watergate and
Iran-contra scandals, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the
reunification of Germany, the disintegration of the Soviet
Union, the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, a presidential
impeachment, a presidential resignation, and a presidential
election decided by the Supreme Court. He’s observed Nixon,
Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and two Bushes wrestling with
the presidency; he’s traveled to war zones in Europe, the
Middle East, and Africa and seen firsthand the devastation
of genocide. He played a vital role by standing up to Ronald
Reagan’s effort to seat Judge Robert Bork on the Supreme
Court, fighting for legislation that protects women against
domestic violence, and galvanizing America’s response (and
the world’s) to Slobodan Milosevic’s genocidal march in the
Balkans. In Promises to Keep, Biden reveals what these
experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and
the institutions of government. With his customary candor, Biden movingly recounts growing
up in a staunchly Catholic multigenerational household in
Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware; overcoming
a demoralizing stutter; marriage, fatherhood, and the tragic
death of his wife Neilia and infant daughter Naomi;
remarriage and re-forming a family with his second wife,
Jill; success and failure in the Senate and on the campaign
trail; two life-threatening aneurysms; his relations with
fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle; and his
leadership of powerful Senate committees. Through these and other recollections, Biden shows us how
the guiding principles he learned early in life–the
obligation to work to make people’s lives better, to honor
family and faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter
how hard you’ve been knocked down, to be honest and
straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises–are
the foundations on which he has based his life’s work as
husband, father, and public servant. Promises to Keep is the story of a man who faced down
personal challenges and tragedy to become one of our most
effective leaders. It is also an intimate series of
reflections from a public servant who refuses to be cynical
about political leadership, and a testament to the promise
of the United States.
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