First published 2022
Valerie Biden Owens chronicles her life as both sister and political partner to Joe Biden. She opens with her childhood in Delaware as the sole daughter in the Biden household, where the family instilled values of empathy and hard work. After tragedy struck when Biden's first wife and daughter died in a car accident, Owens moved in to help raise her nephews Beau and Hunter while her brother served in the Senate. Her story reveals how she became one of America's first female campaign managers, running nearly every one of Biden's political campaigns from his high school class president race onward. Owens describes her role in crafting speeches, preparing debates, and developing political strategy across decades of campaigns. The memoir shows how their professional partnership grew from deep family bonds, with Owens serving as confidante and advisor throughout Biden's career. She brings readers inside the Biden family dynamic, showing how their upbringing shaped both siblings' approach to public service and their commitment to helping others.
Genres: biography, family, american, political-science, autobiography, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Delaware
Period: 21st-century
288 pages · Hardcover · Celadon Books