Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics is the autobiography of former Vice President and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden. Through his time in politics as a United States Senator, Biden has been at the front line for some of the most tragic and eventful moments in American history.
Biden has experienced first hand the effects of the Berlin Wall falling, Vietnam War, Watergate, Iran, Germany reunification, the end of the Soviet Union, 9/11, election by Supreme Court, impeachment, and the resignation of a United States President. He has been a part of several administrations like Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and another Bush.
Through his time as a senator, Biden studied and learned policy-making from some of the greatest politicians in the world. Traveling to different war zones in the Middle East, Europe, and Africa has given him an insight into how much devastation war can bring to families. Biden has defended several highly publicized legislation like laws that protect women living through domestic violence and calling on all Americans to respond to genocidal acts of dictators around the world.
His experiences are everything to him as they taught him more about himself, the people, and the different institutions that govern the land. Biden relives his childhood as a practicing Catholic living in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Growing up, he had to battle his speech impairment which demoralized and made him feel unworthy for a long time.
Biden eventually overcame it, got married, and became a father. Tragedy hit home when his wife and daughter died. After some successes and failures in the Senate, Biden remarries and is diagnosed with aneurysms. Despite his ups and downs, Biden weathers the political, economic, and social storm of his life. He finds power in his lowest moments, and he always bounces back better than before, always in service of the good.
