Review: Joe Biden Book 'Promise Me Dad' Keeps The Door Open For A 2020 Run : NPR
Joe Biden
'Promise Me':  Joe  Biden On Loss  Grief And Recovery
But this time was different for  Joe Biden .
That's how the former vice president closes Chapter 10 of his new book  out Tuesday  Promise Me  Dad: A Year of Hope  Hardship  and Purpose.  Biden  recounts in vivid  heart-wrenching detail what it was like for him and his family from the time  his  eldest son  Beau  a rising star in the Democratic Party  was diagnosed with brain cancer  to his death less than two years later and the aftermath.
It's hard not to feel for Biden  who exudes humanity throughout the book. He lays bare his emotions and vulnerabilities at losing a son with so much promise  which is made even more difficult by the understanding that  Biden  has faced unthinkable tragedy before. As almost anyone reading this likely knows  when he was first elected as a U.S. senator from Delaware   Biden 's young wife and daughter were killed in a car crash.  His  sons Beau and Hunter  3 and 2 at the time  were in the backseat. They survived  but were hospitalized for days.  Joe Biden  had just turned 30.
And now  four decades later   he  was losing Beau   his  trusted adviser.  Biden  writes that  he  was "pretty sure" Beau could have run for president one day.  Biden  describes Beau â who was attorney general of Delaware at the time of  his  diagnosis and set to run for governor â as like  him   but better.
"Beau Biden  at age 45  was  Joe Biden  2.0 "  Biden  writes. " He  had all the best of me  but with the bugs and flaws engineered out."
If former President Barack Obama's book was called Dreams From My Father   Biden 's could have been Dreams Of My Son.
 Biden  weaves in his responsibilities as the right-hand man to the most powerful person in the world  then-President Obama  which included a hefty foreign-policy portfolio. It served as a powerful device in understanding just how much  Biden  was juggling  even if some of the detail about Ukrainian and Russian troop movements felt extraneous at times.
 Biden  was taking calls on secure lines in hospital rooms next to  his  son's while attempting to understand what was happening to Beau â and trying to keep it all private.
The possibility of running for president is a constant thread throughout the book and ties it together.  Biden  was considering it far more seriously than previously reported  and  he  had begun planning a run in the summer of 2013   he  writes.
Electoral politics is never far behind in Promise Me. The last chapter of the book  in which  he  reveals why  he  didn't run  is even titled  "Run  Joe  Run."  He  takes the reader inside the deliberations  right up to the point of  his  11th-hour decision not to run â something that went against Beau's wishes.
 Biden  was actually all set to run. By October 2015   Biden  was even editing  his  announcement speech. It laid out a vision that was different from the grievance politics presented by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders â and more hopeful than the technocratic plans laid out by Hillary Clinton.
 He  had also assembled a team that was not just made up of  his  inner circle. It included some top Obama staffers  like communications adviser Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer  one of the top Democratic elections lawyers in the country.  He  had Obama's Ohio field director  a top South Carolina adviser and a list of people ready to endorse.
Five months after Beau's death  and with Clinton struggling to get past her email server controversy   Biden  had some good will â and political momentum.
But  he  decided against it.  He  knew in  his  heart  he  wasn't ready.
There was the time earlier in the summer  for example  on the tarmac in Colorado  where  he  was set to speak at a pair of Democratic fundraisers  when someone called out that they had served with Beau.
'Promise Me':  Joe  Biden On Loss  Grief And Recovery
But this time was different for  [TGT]  .
That's how the former vice president closes Chapter 10 of his new book  out Tuesday  Promise Me  Dad: A Year of Hope  Hardship  and Purpose.   [TGT] recounts in vivid  heart-wrenching detail what it was like for  [TGT]  and  [TGT]  family from the time   [TGT]   eldest son  Beau  a rising star in the Democratic Party  was diagnosed with brain cancer  to  [TGT]  death less than two years later and the aftermath.
It's hard not to feel for Biden  who exudes humanity throughout the book. He lays bare his emotions and vulnerabilities at losing a son with so much promise  which is made even more difficult by the understanding that   [TGT] has faced unthinkable tragedy before. As almost anyone reading this likely knows  when  [TGT]  was first elected as a U.S. senator from Delaware    [TGT]  's young wife and daughter were killed in a car crash.   [TGT]   sons Beau and Hunter  3 and 2 at the time  were in the backseat. They survived  but were hospitalized for days.   [TGT] had just turned 30.
And now  four decades later    [TGT]   was losing Beau    [TGT]   trusted adviser.   [TGT] writes that   [TGT]   was "pretty sure" Beau could have run for president one day.   [TGT] describes Beau â who was attorney general of Delaware at the time of   [TGT]   diagnosis and set to run for governor â as like   [TGT]    but better.
" [TGT] at age 45  was   [TGT]   2.0 "   [TGT] writes. "  [TGT]   had all the best of me  but with the bugs and flaws engineered out."
If former President Barack Obama's book was called Dreams From My Father    [TGT]  's could have been Dreams Of My Son.
  [TGT] weaves in  [TGT]  responsibilities as the right-hand man to the most powerful person in the world  then-President Obama  which included a hefty foreign-policy portfolio. It served as a powerful device in understanding just how much   [TGT] was juggling  even if some of the detail about Ukrainian and Russian troop movements felt extraneous at times.
  [TGT] was taking calls on secure lines in hospital rooms next to   [TGT]   son's while attempting to understand what was happening to Beau â and trying to keep it all private.
The possibility of running for president is a constant thread throughout the book and ties it together.   [TGT] was considering  [TGT]  far more seriously than previously reported  and   [TGT]   had begun planning a run in the summer of 2013    [TGT]   writes.
Electoral politics is never far behind in Promise Me. The last chapter of the book  in which  he  reveals why  he  didn't run  is even titled  "Run  Joe  Run."  He  takes the reader inside the deliberations  right up to the point of  his  11th-hour decision not to run â something that went against Beau's wishes.
  [TGT] was actually all set to run. By October 2015    [TGT] was even editing   [TGT]   announcement speech. It laid out a vision that was different from the grievance politics presented by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders â and more hopeful than the technocratic plans laid out by Hillary Clinton.
 He  had also assembled a team that was not just made up of  his  inner circle. It included some top Obama staffers  like communications adviser Anita Dunn and Bob Bauer  one of the top Democratic elections lawyers in the country.   [TGT]   had Obama's Ohio field director  a top South Carolina adviser and a list of people ready to endorse.
Five months after Beau's death  and with Clinton struggling to get past her email server controversy    [TGT] had some good will â and political momentum.
But   [TGT]   decided against it.   [TGT]   knew in   [TGT]   heart   [TGT]   wasn't ready.
There was the time earlier in the summer  for example  on the tarmac in Colorado  where   [TGT]   was set to speak at a pair of Democratic fundraisers  when someone called out that they had served with Beau.