Authors: Julie Pace and Darlene Superville
Publish Date: April 19, 2022
Publisher: Little Brown & Company
Dr. Jill Biden has been described as President Joe Biden’s greatest political asset. Like many women of her generation, she holds her commitments as wife, mother, and grandmother at the center of her life. She is a professor, earned a doctorate in educational leadership, and taught at Northern Virginia Community College. She broke barriers as First Lady as the first to hold a paying job outside the White House. Jill is the story of this accomplished American woman.
From her earliest days dating Senator Biden to her embrace of Biden’s young sons Beau and Hunter Biden and the birth of their daughter Ashley; her role by Joe Biden’s side through Senate reelection race after Senate reelection race; her years as Second Lady; to Joe’s successful third run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Jill has lived in the public eye.
Jill: A Biography of the First Lady by Julie Pace and Darlene Superville with Evelyn M. Duffy is an exceptionally researched and illuminating read. Pace and Superville of the Associated Press are veteran correspondents of the Washington DC political scene, and this new biography helps shed light on some the more intimate details of Jill Biden’s life. Through this exposé we are able to better understand her personality, which has been a bedrock for the Biden family through heartbreak and good fortune alike.
“She arrived hardened, and at times jaded, by the harsh realities of American politics and the personal tragedies her family has endured in the public eye. Yet she also stepped into a White House as a symbol of resilience and relatability—a woman fiercely protective of her family and her passions and ambitions.”
Skillfully constructed, this profile goes further than just summarizing the story of the Jill Biden most of us only know from news bites. The authors have carefully and expertly trimmed the narrative to the most important events, while still creating an interesting and poignant story. We all know of the heartbreaks that have struck President Biden, but this biography delivers a critical understanding of the role Jill has played in his life. This book leaves the reader with not only a deeper understanding of who Jill Biden is, but also a clearer perception of Joe Biden, his children, and their inner circle.
A proper biography is one that shares the life of its subject, but an exceptional biography is one that goes above and beyond just their life story and leaves the reader feeling like they were at least for a short period of time, a part of their life. Jill: A Biography of the First Lady, does just that and more.
This review first appeared at the New York Journal of Books on April 29, 2022 - https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/jill-biography-first-lady
