View from the East Wing: A Memoir

by Jill Biden

A Gallery Book. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Genres: Memoir, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Politics, Book Club, Biography Memoir, Biography

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2026

About the author

Jill Biden, former First Lady of the United States, is the New York Times bestselling author of Where the Light Enters and her children’s books Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops, Joey: The Story of Joe Biden, and Willow the White House Cat. She served as Second Lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. As First Lady, she advocated for military families, the Biden Cancer Moonshot, community colleges, and women’s health research—and maintained a full-time career teaching English as a community college professor. She chairs the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network. A mother and grandmother—and now great-grandmother—she lives with her husband, former President Joe Biden, in Wilmington, Delaware, with their cat, Willow.

Reviews

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Jill Biden is such an inspiration to me. Ignore the fact that she's married to a very public figure; she deserves so much more notoriety for her advocacy, public service, and passion for teaching.

In her recent memoir, View from the East Wing, Dr. Biden gives readers a behind the scenes glance of what life is like for a first lady.

Dr. Biden recounts where her prior work, Where the Light Enters, left off and she covers life from 2019 to the present. She discusses instances from her personal life such as what it was like losing her stepson, having her other stepson suffer from drug addiction and recover in the public eye, and so much more. Reader's get a glimpse at the decision making during her husband's tenure as well as her reactions to certain events. Jill also discusses current happenings and recounts how she dealt with her husband's health and his cancer diagnosis.

Written with such brilliance, grace, and honest candor after finishing View from the East Wing I came to admire Dr. Biden so much more. I loved learning how she maintained her career while advocating for the causes she's passionate about, and supporting her loved ones as a wife, mother, and grandmother.
With its themes of mental health, grief, and family, View from the East Wing is a must read for all who are curious about the former first family.

View from the East Wing by Jill Biden: A Memoir was published on June 2 so it's available now. Many thanks to Gallery Books for the gifted copy!

[Brittney Maas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for book club. This was legit all over the place. The format wasn’t chronological or thematic it just randomly jumped from one topic to another. And dude it was so slow and boring. Read more like a travel log and will probably only sell because she is a former First Lady and not because it is actual well written.

[Elyse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started to read this book for the Sharon McMahon book club. I thought I'd enjoy it as I've read multiple memoirs the past few years and it's become a genre I enjoy. I admire women who are able to share their journey balancing well self-disclosure and insight yet not telling others' stories that might intersect with theirs (including their spouse, their children, etc.).

This book misses that mark. It was bland, it was self-focused, and it revealed nothing that I couldn't get from reading the news articles about Jill Biden back at the time. She admitted she and Joe Biden avoided discussing multiple issues (like mental health struggles, addiction, etc.) and this desire to avoid hard issues continues into her book. As a therapist, this avoidance, glossing over hard issues, and sanitizing controversial decisions (like the Afghanistan withdrawal and a relatives' public addiction struggle) is frustrating and leads to an unsatisfying read. When you learn nothing new in reading a memoir, what's the point of reading it?

I don't need salacious details, but I would love to hear that she and her husband really wrestled with issues that many Americans wrestle with.

Disappointed.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this easy read. I listened to some, yet read most of it.
Some readers felt it was disjointed....I never took it to be a chronological telling, many of the sections were told about specific things. Towards the 2nd 1/2 of the book it did follow a time line.

Interesting insight from Jill as a 2nd & 1st lady....Jill is a soft spoken person, she tells her story in a very gentle way & I never really picked up on any "snark".

Loved that I read this with the Sharon McMahon Governerds book group & for our lovely Zoom chat with Jill Biden

[Brielle Ashford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately this was not a favorite for me — no shade to Jill. She seems like a lovely woman!

The memoir was a bit boring honestly, and often read like one very long press release chock-full of trite commentary on a litany of events that occurred during the Biden presidency. The story just lacked the intimacy and intrigue that make a memoir great and memorable, in my opinion. However, I don’t doubt it was an authentic account, and I will note that it is written well enough and doesn’t necessarily shy away from any relevancies. It just doesn’t add much interesting context, either. Everything shared felt fairly easily assumed.

Even his pulling out of the race wasn’t expounded upon in any notable way — just emphasis on how no one around him thought he was unfit and basically the infamous debate breakdown appeared to be a random anomaly for which no one has ever discovered an explanation…
This made their team seem even more unfit to me, in retrospect, tbh. Ultimately, Jill came off to me as biased and a little head-in-the-sand about it all. No judgement though, really. I probably would be too if it were my dad, or husband. But not inspiring as a voter!

Although some details of life in the White House were charming, they didn’t quite add enough to save it. I will say my favorite details in the book were about her work at community college. She shared moving moments from her time teaching and I deeply respect that she took that on during such a chaotic and often difficult time in her life.

Having last read Michelle Obama’s memoir, I couldn’t help but compare and do recommend that one for a more intimate and comprehensive First Lady’s life and perspective.

For the record, I do assume I might enjoy Jill Biden’s first memoir more. However, after this, I’m not sure I have the confidence in her storytelling to try it.

[Kristine M Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Memoir Delivers Cheers and Tears

For decades, Dr. Jill and Senator/VP/President Joe Biden dedicated their waking hours to improving conditions and outcomes in the US and around the world. Their numerous personal and family heart aches, challenges and tragedies didn't derail them. Instead, they deepened their resolve and their empathy for others who have suffered and are suffering. And their hearts never hardened despite the cruel, merciless and unwarranted attacks on their characters.
I consider them both role models and salt of the earth human beings. I am, and always will be, glad that they represented us on the world stage for as long as they did. They continue to inspire me. So, it was impossible for me to put this book down. I read it in one sitting. It's riveting, emotional and utterly fascinating to be given the unique opportunity to inhabit Dr. Biden's mind and to vicariously experience the life she has lived. If you can put your preconceptions and your politics aside, no matter where you are on the political spectrum, you will find much to love and admire about her journey.

[Kasey Bone · Rating 2 out of 5]

It feels like her ghost writer gave her a list of questions as a jumping off point, then Jill—being the endearing English professor she is—wrote a full essay for each question. Rather than weave the stories into a thematic narrative, they accidentally hit publish on the first, albeit well written, draft.

[Allison Horrocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book flows seamlessly from topic to topic as Jill Biden has her say about being First Lady. It’s obvious Dr. Biden has taken all her service roles seriously. In the early chapters, Biden makes it clear she’s uneasy talking about addiction & health issues. Her deliberate avoidance of difficult topics is obvious throughout this book, which is absolutely not a tell-all. There’s paragraphs filled with details about Camp David, flowers at the White House, and portrait projects. This book reads like a last attempt at assuring Americans someone cares about decorum, and I’m afraid that in June 2026, it’s already too late.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio and Dr. Biden read it which was delightful. I loved how she never mentioned Trump by name-just a little snarky but why not. This was very enjoyable and I liked hearing about her years in the East Wing (RIP).

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you Gallery Books for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!

Dr. Jill Biden became First Lady at one of the most complicated moments in U.S. history: the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the January 6 insurrection. As she set up her office in the now demolished East Wing, she maintained her advocacy for women’s health, cancer awareness, and education. She was the first ever First Lady to maintain her outside job she continued working as a professor at a community college. She shares some of the personal moments, like the loss of Beau to cancer and Hunter’s addiction struggles, and of course the behind-the-scenes conversations about her husband dropping out of the 2024 election.

I have so much respect for Dr. Biden; I can only imagine how emotionally fraught she must be in writing about and reliving all of the hardships she experienced as First Lady. Regardless of your thoughts on her husband and his politics, it’s fascinating to hear the story of a First Lady who maintained her own career. The memoir isn’t chronological, but that does force the reader to pay extra attention to the context. I learned a lot more about her own journey and story, and gained deeper appreciation for her tireless advocacy for education. Full disclosure: I haven’t read her first memoir “Where the Light Enters: Building a Family, Discovering Myself,” which may put some of the pieces of the backstory together that otherwise felt a bit glossed over in this book. But nonetheless, it was a candid view into the East Wing; a glimpse we’ll never get again.

Reviewed as part of an #ARC from the publisher.

Read this book if you:
🎓 clap back with “it’s Dr., actually”
🍎 root for all the teachers on Abbott Elementary
💪🏻 know that Delaware is small but mighty

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[Jenn S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Political thoughts and opinions aside, this is an easy audiobook to listen to. Jill Biden has a pleasant voice and narrates well.
The editing felt strange. In an effort to not sound like a daily diary, the timeline of this book jumps forwards and back constantly. One minute it’s the 2024 election, the next she’s Second Lady. Each anecdote is written well enough, but I’m not sure of the editing choices.


For my personal opinions— Jill Biden, as she describes herself, is from a “different time”. That lack of communication within the family likely lead to a lot of the image issues that plagued Biden’s presidency. Jill Biden notes multiple times that some things were not spoken of in their family. She toes the line of independent woman and dutiful wife, but struggles to remain centrist. She fought to be able to keep her teaching position, which she earned, but doesn’t talk to her husband about his health or her family about their son’s addiction.

She was a classy First Lady, à la Laura Bush. She used her influence when appropriate but didn’t upstage her husband in any way.

The differences in this memoir from Jake Tapper’s book and Kamala Harris’s memoir are slight, but there are definitely some rose-colored glasses being worn when writing this one.

[Chriss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read every First Lady’s memoir since Rosalynn Carter, except for the current one. I’m primarily a fiction reader but at some point I must have decided the First Ladies had better stories than their husbands. Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, and Jill Biden, both Republicans and Democrats. I wasn’t surprised to note that politics played a part for those who panned this book in their reviews. I was surprised though that they even read it. I enjoyed the book as I find Jill Biden down to earth and relatable. It covered a little bit of everything, life in the White House, her responsibilities as First Lady, not much on politics as we think of it, but some about her travels and other wives of heads of state that she met on those travels, her love of teaching, family and grandchildren, grief over the death of a child, another child’s struggle with addiction, the importance of her female friends and more. I listened to her narrate it on Audible in a day. Her writing style was as one might assume, that of an English teacher, so I’m not sure why there’s criticism of her writing style, it’s a memoir not a thriller, and as such I’m giving it 5 ⭐️.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Managed not to DNF because I wanted to have read it through for book club. This was painfully poorly written. Incohesive. Jumped around. The loosest of timelines until the last third of the book. A nice opportunity of a memoir totally squandered

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick listen with some interesting perspectives and an insider’s view…and I liked listening to it in her own voice, but it was a bit scattered and there was a whole lot of discussing which designer’s dress she was wearing to which function. A portion of it read like a travel log. There was some hard things she went through but very little emotion. I guess it felt a bit guarded…but perhaps it’s a generational thing? I did find it interesting that she referred to but did not name Trump for most of the book. “His opponent”, “the former president”, etc until the section where it was the lead up to the 2024 election.

[Peyton Riddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need more time to digest this memoir and consider why I didn’t like it, but these are my initial thoughts.

This was nearly a DNF for me. I always give memoirs 5 stars because I feel strongly about what it means to absorb someone’s lived stories. This is the first memoir I can’t review that highly.

I saw another review that said a lot of the narrative is around Biden’s commitment to her public service roles and demonstration of respect for decorum, which I’ll admit is a breath of fresh air compared to what we’re seeing in politics today. That said, it almost reads as a travel log that was pieced together haphazardly, with japes sprinkled in that read to me as “and that’s how I really felt”.

She made clear she’s very private and avoids speaking about heavy topics such as addiction and physical ailments, which she tries to overcome some in this memoir, but there is just such a strong barrier between Jill and the reader.

We are met with so much affirmative commentary about Joe’s mental and physical health and the impact of political propaganda on the Biden campaign that I ended up catching a “woe is me” vibe, which albeit is valid but also feels like a missed opportunity with her platform to impact the public positively.

[Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just finished Jill Biden’s View from the East Wing and it was, without a doubt, the most soporific book of my life. It felt like an endless list of things lived, people met, food eaten and gifts received. I am convinced that she had the most interesting life and intentions yet her book failed to convey those to me.

I felt the same about Susie Wolff’s memoir Driven, the difference being I really admire Susie and she would be a woman I’d love to meet one day. Jill, not so much. Nothing against her but she confirmed in this book she is a woman of her social status and generation (the one who doesn’t even speak about menopause with her husband?!), which I fail to connect with.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jill Biden is a remarkable woman. She’s smart, compassionate and thoughtful, and has had so many truly incredible experiences. All of that and the fact that she’s an English professor gave me high hopes for this book. So I was surprised that it was not particularly well written and terribly organized. The timeline is all over the place. There are seemingly random swerves in thought and timeline and unconnected pieces of information, sometimes all in the same chapter. The writing is oddly stilted. It’s all written in first person, but it seems a little stiff. Only the last couple of chapters seem warm and authentic. Her experiences are interesting and unique, but not conveyed particularly well.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with Sharon McMahon’s book club. I love a memoir and really wanted to enjoy this but… didn’t.

In a “cobbler’s kids going barefoot” way, I was surprised that the work of a creative writing professor would be so uninspiring. I think glimpses of experiences are fine in a memoir, but there’s no common thread to the chapters, no common style through the book, just assemblies of paragraphs that left me with little interest in finishing the book other than hating to put anything on the DNF shelf. The lack of any back-cover reviewer blurbs - just an excerpt in Mrs Biden’s words - was, in retrospect a tell.

As another reviewer noted, not much here that couldn’t be pulled from other sources, which defeats the point of writing your memoir.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always fascinating to see first hand experiences of those who are in the government. My favorite line was "We are ordinary people living an extraordinary life."

[Kira Simmons Murphy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this, doubt I would have gotten through it reading it. I am reading it for a book club. I appreciated she never said the name of a certain political opponent. I found the most sincere parts to be the ones where she talked about teaching and appreciated her highlighting educators. I respect that she did keep working and maintained her own identity. However, to me most of this read like a resume and some of it I just wasn't buying, it felt like political spin.

[Clay H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regardless of the 2024 election and one's feelings about Biden's campaign end, the book describes interesting behind the scenes moments from the Biden-Harris administration. The book describes a more intimate look at the presidency and woman who has accomplished a lot in life.

[Lynn 🌟 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like doctor biden and I was looking forward to this book. I'm stating this because I also want to say it was dullish. That being said, I think you should read it.

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Someone mentions that it jumps around a lot in timelines, and it does, and it was a little annoying. I read a lot of biographies, and that's kind of a new ish fing, the deaf been doing more and more, but I feel the chapters were too small in this book for that to happen.You just felt like you were getting whippedlash jumping between timelines so quickly. But that being said, I really do think you should read it

[Jess Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost finished with Jill Biden‘s memoir as First Lady. It’s a pretty straightforward simple text about her life as a first lady. She does give us insight into what it’s like to be a first lady and I like that. No major revelations or heavy politics. I can’t help but like her even more!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐ It was fine. I have a little bit of a difficult time with books written by those in politics because they always feel a little PR-motivated. It was interesting to hear Jill's perspective on things, particularly to hear about the dynamic she has with Joe.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book fully expecting to hate it because I book club I am in had selected it. I’m really tired of political memoirs from this time period, and I don’t really want to continue to relive it. That said, I didn’t hate it. I find a lot to admire in Jill Biden’s life. She stepped right into the role of mother when she married Joe Biden, and she clearly loves Beau and Hunter like her own. I really enjoyed her stories from her English classes.
That said, the book meanders quite a bit, and I find it really difficult to believe that she and Joe never really discuss their health issues because it’s so personal. What? I also didn’t buy that she didn’t pressure Joe to stay in the race. I personally think she and Hunter did pressure him and that she enjoyed being First Lady too much to let go of the role. Some passages just came across as disingenuous.
I think the Bidens need money and that’s why this book was written. I’m grateful for their public service and the good things they were able to accomplish while in office, but I’ll always be bitter that they didn’t bow out of the 2024 race and give a younger generation a chance to govern.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so interesting to me (you know i love a political memoir). I’ve always admired the Bidens and it was fascinating to get a BTS look at their lives, both during their time in the White House and in the years leading up to the presidency. This story felt really personal and genuine in the way it was about Jill the wife, mom, grandma, teacher rather than Jill former FLOTUS. Bonus points for the audiobook being narrated by Jill herself, her voice was lovely to listen to and made it so easy to devour this one in less than 48 hours.

[Michelle Pizarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Gretchen]

Really enjoyed this especially hearing her talk about her love for teaching and family. Also really liked hearing about the things First Ladies get to do while in the White House. She obviously loves her Husband and at times I think she saw the situation through rose colored glasses on if he was fit to run again as president. Enjoyed this audiobook though.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, but the further I got into it, the more disenchanted I became.

I have always enjoyed reading about First Ladies, knowing I could never do what they do. I have admired Jill Biden as a Second Lady and as a First Lady, especially given that she continued to teach while in both roles. This book is her truth as she lived it. Unfortunately she comes across as very self serving, with a lot of justification for things that she and President Biden were criticized for, especially after that disastrous debate. Her love of family, teaching and country come through clearly. The loss of Beau, and Hunter’s addiction and legal troubles are heartbreaking. She narrates the audiobook and you can tell when she is smiling and when she is emotional.

The writing is almost saccharine and the narrative jumps around in time, making it feel less cohesive. At times it felt like the descriptions of fancy dinners and couture clothing were fillers to expand the book. There is also a lot of repetition in describing events, since the book is chronologically out of order. I did enjoy that she hardly mentions DJT by name, using euphemisms like “Joe’s opponent” or “the current resident.” She’s pretty scathing about Melania, deservedly so.

Probably the thing that disappointed and annoyed me the most, almost to the point of anger, is when she is describing the events of October 7 and its aftermath. Several times she mentions what was happening in Gaza in the aftermath of the attack on Israel, and heaps praise on Jose Andreas and his World Central Kitchen for their efforts to feed the Gazans, but she never, ever mentions the agony of the hostages who were kept in the underground tunnels of Gaza by Hamas. She mentions how devastated she was when World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed in an air strike, but never mentions how the IDF was trying to rescue the hostages. Her unspoken words said volumes to me. She apparently isn’t the ally I thought she was and I lost some respect for her because of this. I get that this is a “me” problem, but 10/7 opened my eyes to how much the world really doesn’t care about what happens to Jews.

The book is interesting in a way, but I’m not sure I would recommend it.

[Christie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Was a book club pick. Easy to read. If you don’t like the Bidens I don’t recommend. Did have some interesting anecdotes.