Many readers will be intrigued by the author’s portrayal of Biden’s dynamics with Barack Obama. Osnos also highlights some gems about which many readers would undoubtedly like to learn more-e.g., his early career as a public defender “contempt for the corrupting glad-handing of Washington” his hard work honing his oratory skills. He has parted with youth grudgingly.” The author takes us through several well-worn Biden themes: the tragic deaths of his first wife and daughter and son Beau his stutter controversial roles in the Clarence Thomas hearings and the 1994 crime bill and tendency for candor and gaffes and being thoughtlessly affectionate toward women. “Biden is seventy-seven years old,” writes Osnos, “and he looks thinner than he did six years ago, but not markedly so. history with the aneurysm Biden suffered in 1988.

The author clearly admires his subject, though he oddly begins his account of the man who would be the oldest president in U.S. In this brief biography, National Book Award winner Osnos profiles the man who has “arrived at his season of history” in America’s most consequential presidential campaign in decades. In this nuanced portrait, Biden emerges as flawed, yet resolute, and tempered by the flame of tragedy-a man who just may be uncannily suited for his moment in history.Ī New Yorker staff writer profiles Joe Biden (b. Osnos ponders the difficulties Biden faces as his presidency begins and weighs how a changing country, a deep well of experiences, and a rigorous approach to the issues, have altered his positions.

This portrayal illuminates Biden’s long and eventful career in the Senate, his eight years as Obama’s vice president, his sojourn in the political wilderness after being passed over for Hillary Clinton in 2016, his decision to challenge Donald Trump for the presidency, and his choice of Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate. It is based on lengthy interviews with Biden and on revealing conversations with more than a hundred others, including President Barack Obama, Cory Booker, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, and a range of activists, advisers, opponents, and Biden family members. Blending up-close journalism and broader context, Evan Osnos, who won the National Book Award in 2014, draws on nearly a decade of reporting for The New Yorker to capture the characters and meaning of 2020’s extraordinary presidential election.

Joe Biden by Evan Osnos