Former President Joe Biden has stayed largely out of the spotlight since leaving the Oval Office in 2024, as the current administration moved quickly to roll back many of his accomplishments. Now, he is preparing to tell his own story in a memoir, with Promise Me, America set for release on Nov. 17 and available for preorder.
Courtesy of Hachette Book Group
In a video announcing the book, Biden, 83, said the memoir is centered on his faith in the country and the major decisions he made as president. He pointed to his handling of Covid, efforts to rebuild the economy, the response to the Jan. 6 attack, the end of the nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, support for NATO and Ukraine, as well as the question of why he decided to seek re-election and why he later chose to step aside.
“It’s about the challenges we faced as a nation,” Biden said. “[It’s] about the decisions I made, and why I made them. Leading the country though Covid, rebuilding our economy, and restoring our democracy after the attack on Jan. 6, ending our nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, strengthening NATO, and supporting Ukraine. It’s about why I chose to run for re-election and why I chose to step aside. Most of all, it’s about my faith in the promise of America.”
Little Brown, Biden’s publisher, says the former president tells his story with his “hallmark grit.” The rollout also suggests a more personal note, with Biden thanking supporters in the video for praying for him as he has dealt with metastatic prostate cancer.
“Since I left the presidency, I’ve had a lot of people ask me, ‘Joe, what have you been doing?’” he says in the announcement. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I’ve been dealing with a cancer diagnosis and I’ve been getting treatment, and it’s been going really well.”
