Former US President Joe Biden is set to return to the public spotlight with a new memoir that will look back at the major decisions and challenges of his presidency. Titled “Promise Me, America”, the book will be released on November 17, two weeks after the US midterm elections, publisher Little, Brown and Company confirmed on Wednesday.
The memoir is expected to cover Biden’s years in the White House, including his handling of the Covid pandemic, US economy, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the war in Ukraine and his eventual decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Biden says memoir will explain decisions made in office
In a video announcing the book, Biden said the memoir would examine the challenges the United States faced during his presidency and explain the thinking behind some of his biggest decisions.
“Leading the country through Covid, rebuilding our economy, and restoring our democracy after the attack on January 6th, ending our nation’s longest war in Afghanistan, strengthening NATO, and supporting Ukraine,” Biden said, listing the challenges he faced. The former president said the book would focus not only on what happened during his time in office but also on why he made certain choices.
Biden shares update on cancer treatment
Biden also used the announcement video to share an update on his health and life after leaving the White House.
“Since I’ve left the presidency, I’ve had a lot of people ask me, ‘Joe, what have you been doing?’ I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I’ve been dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and it’s been going really well,” he said.
The former president also thanked people who had sent him messages and offered their support. “It’s meant the world to me and Jill,” he said.
Release timing could raise questions for Democrats
The timing of the memoir’s release could draw attention within the Democratic Party. The book will arrive just two weeks after the midterm elections, as Democrats seek to regain control of Congress.
Biden and his 2024 campaign have faced criticism from some members of his own party over his decision to initially seek a second term despite concerns about his age and health. That criticism grew after his widely scrutinised debate performance against Donald Trump in June 2024.
The memoir could bring renewed attention to those debates as Biden gives his own account of the events that led to his decision to leave the 2024 presidential race.
‘Promise Me, America’ will be Biden’s fourth book
The title of the new memoir echoes Biden’s 2017 book “Promise Me, Dad”, which focused on the death of his son, Beau Biden. “Promise Me, America” will be Biden’s fourth book overall, following “Promises to Keep”, published in 2008.
Little, Brown and Company has not disclosed the financial terms of the deal. Presidential memoirs, however, often attract seven-figure publishing deals.
Biden, who will turn 84 three days after the book’s release, is also expected to promote the memoir through interviews and a book tour.
