Promises to Keep audiobook cover - On Life and Politics

Promises to Keep

On Life and Politics

Joe Biden

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Biography & MemoirPolitics

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Promises to Keep
Early Life & Foundation+
Legal Career & Public Service+
Entering Politics+
Tragedy & Resilience+
Political Principles & Record+
Presidential Campaigns+
Key Takeaways+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
How did Joe Biden's childhood struggle with a stutter ultimately shape his political leadership?
  • A. It made him prefer written communication and policy drafting over public speaking.
  • B. It taught him how to tackle adversity through determination and gave him deep empathy for those who are bullied.
  • C. It led him to focus his early political campaigns solely on healthcare reform and speech therapy access.
  • D. It caused him to avoid debating political opponents directly, focusing instead on grassroots canvassing.
Question 2 of 10
What was the primary catalyst that motivated Biden to improve his mediocre academic performance in college?
  • A. A stern warning from his college professors that he would fail to graduate.
  • B. His urgent desire to secure a lucrative partnership at a prestigious law firm in Wilmington.
  • C. Meeting Neilia Hunter, whose unwavering confidence in him pushed him to buckle down and succeed.
  • D. The realization that he needed a perfect academic record to run for the United States Senate.
Question 3 of 10
Why did Biden decide to leave his job at a prestigious Wilmington law firm early in his career?
  • A. He was offered a highly paid partnership at a rival corporate firm.
  • B. He realized that while his firm’s actions were legal, they were not always morally right, especially regarding vulnerable people.
  • C. He wanted to immediately dedicate all his time to running for the United States Senate.
  • D. He was fired for spending too much time participating in local civil rights protests.
Question 4 of 10
On what primary platform did Biden run and win his first political seat on the New Castle County Council in 1969?
  • A. Protecting the environment and reigning in big developers.
  • B. Ending the war in Vietnam and bringing troops home.
  • C. Reforming the public education system in Delaware.
  • D. Lowering taxes for middle-class Republicans.
Question 5 of 10
How did Biden's 1972 Senate campaign overcome its lack of financial resources against a 30-year Republican incumbent?
  • A. By securing massive donations from out-of-state corporate sponsors.
  • B. By relying on controversial television and radio advertising.
  • C. By focusing on intimate coffee meetings and utilizing a grassroots network of volunteer deliverers.
  • D. By aggressively attacking his opponent's personal life in the local press.
Question 6 of 10
What convinced Biden to take his oath of office for the Senate after the tragic deaths of his wife and daughter?
  • A. A direct mandate from the President of the United States.
  • B. The realization that his political enemies would easily take his newly won seat.
  • C. The persistent encouragement and support from senior Senate colleagues like Mike Mansfield and Hubert Humphrey.
  • D. A promise he had made to his voters during his election night victory speech.
Question 7 of 10
Which of the following is true regarding Joe Biden's courtship and marriage to Jill Jacobs?
  • A. She immediately accepted his first marriage proposal because she was eager to enter the political spotlight.
  • B. She turned down his marriage proposal five times before finally accepting.
  • C. She was heavily involved in politics before they met and managed his early campaigns.
  • D. She convinced him to leave the Senate temporarily to focus entirely on his family.
Question 8 of 10
What major event forced Biden to drop out of the 1987 race for the Democratic presidential nomination?
  • A. A severe aneurysm that required immediate brain surgery during the primary debates.
  • B. A media scandal accusing him of plagiarizing a speech by British politician Neil Kinnock without attribution.
  • C. His refusal to chair controversial Supreme Court nomination proceedings, which angered the Democratic party.
  • D. A sudden drop in poll numbers after he openly supported the privatization of healthcare.
Question 9 of 10
How did surviving a life-threatening brain aneurysm impact Biden's approach to his life and career?
  • A. He decided to retire from public office and focus solely on private law practice.
  • B. He became more cautious and refused to take on controversial legislative projects.
  • C. He realized the importance of balancing his work with his personal life and returned to the Senate with renewed focus.
  • D. He immediately launched another presidential campaign to make up for the time he had lost.
Question 10 of 10
According to the text, what was the primary political motivation for Biden to run for president again in 2008?
  • A. His desire to enact sweeping environmental regulations across the globe.
  • B. His deep frustration over the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War and its impact on America's moral standing.
  • C. A fierce rivalry with other emerging Democratic candidates who he felt were inexperienced.
  • D. His intent to pass a new, more comprehensive Violence Against Women Act at the executive level.

Promises to Keep — Full Chapter Overview

Promises to Keep Summary & Overview

In Promises to Keep (2007), Joe Biden recounts personal anecdotes from his childhood and long career in politics. He reveals how he was taught by his parents to always follow his convictions, and how he entered politics as an underdog, but quickly built a career in the Senate that spanned four decades. Lastly, he recounts how personal and professional adversity have made him a more resilient and insightful father, husband, and political leader.

Who Should Listen to Promises to Keep?

  • Voters wanting to know more about one of the US presidential candidates
  • Memoir-lovers who want to learn about the personal life of a remarkable politician
  • Historians interested in how Senate politics has changed over the last four decades

About the Author: Joe Biden

Joe Biden is the Democratic nominee for the presidency in 2020. He represented Delaware for 36 years in the US Senate before serving as vice president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. After leaving the White House, he published the second volume of his autobiography, entitled Promise Me, Dad (2017). Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, do extensive philanthropic work through the Biden Foundation and the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.

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