Recommendations based on Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purposeby Joe Biden

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Obama: An Intimate Portrait: The Historic Presidency in Photographs

    by Pete Souza
    A photographic tribute to the 8-year presidency of Barack Obama.

    This is the definitive visual biography of Barack Obama's presidency, captured in intimate, unprecedented detail by his official White House photographer. Pete Souza began photographing President ... (Goodreads)

  2. Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved

    by Kate Bowler
    A memoir of a woman's journey through cancer diagnosis, questioning faith, and finding meaning in life's struggles.

    A divinity professor and young mother with a Stage IV cancer diagnosis explores the pain and joy of living without certainty. Thirty-five-year-old Kate Bowler was a professor at the school of ... (Goodreads)

  3. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

    by Timothy Snyder
    A study of history and a call to action against the rise of authoritarianism.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller •, A historian of fascism offers a guide for surviving and resisting America's turn towards authoritarianism., The Founding Fathers tried to protect us from the threat ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

    by James Comey
    Former FBI Director James Comey's memoir about his career and experiences with President Trump.

    Former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ... (Goodreads)

  5. The World As It Is: Inside the Obama White House

    by Ben Rhodes
    A memoir of Ben Rhodes' time as a speechwriter and foreign policy advisor in the Obama administration.

    This is a book about two people making the most important decisions in the world. One is Barack Obama. The other is Ben Rhodes. The World As It Is tells the full story of what it means to work ... (Goodreads)

  6. Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

    by J.D. Vance
    An exploration of the struggles of working-class Americans, and the power of family and culture to shape one's life.

    Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for ... (Goodreads)

  7. Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A guide for raising children with feminist values, and advocating for gender equality.

    From the best-selling author of, Americanah, and, We Should All Be Feminists, comes a powerful new statement about feminism today–written as a letter to a friend. A few years ago, Chimamanda Ngozi ... (Goodreads)

  8. Shortest Way Home: One Mayor's Challenge and a Model for America's Future

    by Pete Buttigieg
    A memoir of Pete Buttigieg's journey from serving in Afghanistan to becoming the youngest mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his vision for America's future.

    Once described by the Washington Post as “the most interesting mayor you’ve never heard of,” Pete Buttigieg, the thirty-seven-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has now emerged as one of the ... (Goodreads)

  9. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

    by David Grann
    Exposé of a series of murders of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the FBI's investigation.

    In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

    by Anthony Ray Hinton
    A memoir of a man who spent 30 years on death row for a crime he didn't commit and how he found hope and freedom through his faith.

    The, New York Times, bestseller and Oprah's Book Club 2018 Selection.,, Winner of the 2019 Moore Prize,Finalist, Dayton Peace Prize, 2019 , ,"An amazing and heartwarming story, it restores our faith ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

    by John Carreyrou
    The rise and fall of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing startup, and the deceitful actions of its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face ... (Goodreads)

  12. Living History

    by Hillary Rodham Clinton
    Autobiography of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life, from her childhood to her time as First Lady.

    The Phenomenal #1 Worldwide Bestseller—With a New Afterword Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends and family have ever ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss

    by Anderson Cooper
    A candid conversation between a mother and son, exploring their past and present.

    A charming and intimate collection of correspondence between #1 New York Times bestselling author Anderson Cooper and his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, that offers timeless wisdom and a revealing ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. Robin

    by Dave Itzkoff
    A comprehensive biography of Robin Williams, exploring his life, career, and struggles with addiction and mental health.

    A, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER A, NEW YORK TIMES,, BOOK REVIEW, EDITOR'S CHOICE A, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR A, VULTURE, BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "A generous, appreciative biography ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. My Beloved World

    by Sonia Sotomayor
    Autobiographical account of a Latina's path to the Supreme Court, overcoming personal and systemic obstacles.

    The first Latinx (Puerto Rican) and third woman appointed to the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Now, with a candor and intimacy never undertaken by a sitting ... (Goodreads)

  16. My Life

    by Bill Clinton
    Memoir of a former President of the United States, chronicling his life and career.

    An exhaustive, soul-searching memoir, Bill Clinton's My Life is a refreshingly candid look at the former president as a son, brother, teacher, father, husband, and public figure. Clinton ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Magnolia Story

    by Chip Gaines
    The inspiring true story of Chip and Joanna Gaines, their journey in home renovation, and the faith that sustains their marriage.

    A National Bestseller - New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly. Now available in paperback with a new chapter. Fall in love with Chip and Joanna Gaines, as you read their ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

    by Deborah Blum
    Uncovering the true stories of early forensic science in 1920s New York.

    Equal parts true crime, twentieth-century history, and science thriller,, The Poisoner's Handbook, is "a vicious, page-turning story that reads more like Raymond Chandler than Madame Curie"— The New ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels

    by Jon Meacham
    A historical analysis of American politics, highlighting moments of crisis and the leaders who rose to the occasion to defend democracy and justice.

    Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. ... (Goodreads)

  20. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

    by Jessica Bruder
    A chronicle of a new American subculture of nomadic older adults, coping with economic precarity.

    An alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780393356311 can be found, here., The inspiration for Chloé Zhao's 2020 Golden Lion award-winning film starring Frances McDormand. From the beet fields of North ... (Goodreads)

  21. Fascism: A Warning

    by Madeleine K. Albright
    A warning against the rise of fascism and authoritarianism in the modern world, drawing on historical examples and personal experiences.

    A personal and urgent examination of Fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as ... (Goodreads)

  22. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

    by Barack Obama
    An exploration of the Obama family history, tracing the threads of identity and race.

    In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust

    by Edith Hahn Beer
    An incredible true story of a Jewish woman's courage and determination to survive the Holocaust.

    Edith Hahn was an outspoken young woman studying law in Vienna when the Gestapo forced Edith and her mother into a ghetto, issuing them papers branded with a "J." Soon, Edith was taken away to a ... (Goodreads)

  24. Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right

    by Al Franken
    Satirical look at the right, exposing their lies and hypocrisies.

    Al Franken, one of our savviest satirists ( People ), has been studying the rhetoric of the Right. He has listened to their cries of slander, bias, and even treason. He has examined the Bush ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    A historical account of the friendship and eventual falling out between Roosevelt and Taft, set against the backdrop of the Progressive Era and the rise of investigative journalism.

    Doris Kearns Goodwin, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of Team of Rivals , captures the Progressive Era through the story of the broken friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard ... (Goodreads)

  26. From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death

    by Caitlin Doughty
    Journey to explore different cultures' death rituals, evaluating one's own mortality.

    A New York Times and Los Angeles Times Bestseller “Doughty chronicles [death] practices with tenderheartedness, a technician’s fascination, and an unsentimental respect for grief.” —Jill Lepore, The ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. A Girl Named Zippy

    by Haven Kimmel
    A charming account of growing up in rural Indiana, exploring the joys and hardships of life.

    When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, it was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World

    by Dalai Lama XIV
    Exploring how to find true and lasting happiness in a constantly changing world.

    Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity. The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Princess Diarist

    by Carrie Fisher
    Actress Carrie Fisher reflects on her time filming Star Wars and her affair with co-star Harrison Ford.

    The last book from beloved Hollywood icon Carrie Fisher,, The Princess Diarist, is an intimate, hilarious, and revealing recollection of what happened behind the scenes on one of the most famous film ... (Goodreads)

  30. Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House

    by Michael Wolff
    An inside look at the chaos and dysfunction within the Trump administration, revealing shocking details about the president and his team.

    With extraordinary access to the West Wing, Michael Wolff reveals what happened behind-the-scenes in the first nine months of the most controversial presidency of our time in Fire and Fury: Inside ... (Goodreads)