It should not come as a surprise to hear that I’ve always been fond of Vice President Joe Biden. (The secret’s out—I’m biased!) And as I dug in to research this book, and as I learned more details, context, and nuance about the way that he has lived his life with integrity, my appreciation only deepened.
So thank you, Vice President Biden, for (1) offering your service to the country, (2) living your life with such class and grace, and (3) enduring this silly book with good humor. (Vice President Biden did not ask for this book. He’s a humble guy. I can imagine him rolling his eyes and saying, “That’s a bunch of malarkey.”) So thank you, sir, for taking this all in stride. And thank you to Dr. Jill Biden, the entire Biden clan, and all of Team Biden (such as Senator Ted Kaufman, Ron Klain, Tony Blinken, Tom Donilon, Jake Sullivan, and so many others) for all that you have done to support the Biden journey.
Thank you to my extraordinary agent, Rob Weisbach—Rob, I’m as crazy about you as Delaware is about Biden. (One day Rob asked me, “Hey, what do you think about Joe Biden?” Goose bumps. Thank you for the inspiration, Rob.) Huge thanks to my editor, Matt Inman, who is literally the only person on the planet I could imagine editing this book. Thanks, Matt, for asking all the tough questions, for the sharp eye, for saving me from myself, for the 3 a.m. editing sessions, and for the Star Trek joke.
Thanks to the incredible team at Three Rivers Press, including marketing aces Kathleen Quinlan and Julie Cepler, publicist extraordinaire Kathryn Santora, production manager Kevin Garcia, cover designer Alane Gianetti, interior designer Andrea Lau, production editor Craig Adams, and to everyone else behind the scenes for all their hard work.
It was a delight to speak with the folks in the Biden universe. Thank you to Arun Chaudhary, Herbie Ziskend, Victoria Nourse, John Marttila, and Mike Haltzel. Professor Laurence Tribe, thank you for sharing your stories about the Bork nomination. Thanks to former president of the National Organization of Women Patricia Ireland for the crucial context, and thanks, Branden Brooks, for sharing your story (and photos) with me. Thanks also to those who spoke with me on background.
Thanks to the brave souls who volunteered to read early drafts of the manuscript and provide valuable feedback. Huge thanks to Lisa Schiller for the hot-off-the-press reads, and for the many enthusiastic texts of encouragement. Thanks to Caitlin Moscatello (life-saver), Dolly Chugh (for the sharp notes and the unflagging support), Laura Brounstein (for the feedback and good vibes), Cody Dolan (the streak lives!), Rochelle Bilow (traditions), Terry Selucky, Shawn Regruto, Ben Bowman, Joe Hall, Josh Wilbur, Jen Doll, Catherine Perez, Tania Hoff, Trevor Hoff, and Sarah Murray (thanks, Sis!). Thank you, all of you.
Thanks to my parents, stepparents, sisters and brother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Thanks to the Wednesday Night Writer’s Group. To the Paragraph writer’s space. To the lifelong Texas/FFL gang (and spouses and kids!) of Eric Pedersen, Chris Shaver, Todd Rinaldo, Dan Abbruscato, Walker Robinson, James Mangano, Trevor Hoff, Tania Hoff, Charlie Applegate, and Joe Hall.
Thanks, as always, to Keith Meatto, Jamie Davis, Evan Aronowitz, Curtis Sparrer, Leo Lopez, Paul Jarrett, Laura Demoreuille, Lee Bob Black, Adam Smith, Matt Smith, Kabir Merchant, Erik Brown, Teddy Vuong, Omer Mohammed, Dave Spinks, Stephane Conte, and Wes Hollomon. To my old coauthor and good friend Andrea Syrtash, to Amy Braunschweiger, Brian Sack, Stephanie Meyers, Elizabeth Meggs (sorry there’s not more about Biden pets!), Erica Ho, Katherine Conaway, Meghan Miller, Christine, and to Allison Joy of Comstock’s. To Megan Lynch (Alles Gute, immer).
A big thanks as always, of course, to Michael Sang, Betsy Poris, Judy Newman, Juliet Nuss, Harry McNeill (I finally learned how to spell your name!), Xiaodi Qu, Traci Swain, Ann-Marie Resnick, Ellie Chamberland, Wayne Friedman, Mike White, and the rest of the mighty crew at Scholastic. (I miss you guys already.)
Oh, one more bit of thanks? To President Barack Obama. Sir, you made a good choice.