The Bidens

Inside the First Family's Fifty-Year Rise to Power

By: Ben Schreckinger

Narrated by: Aaron Abano

A deeply reported exploration of Joe Biden as told through his extended family.

Coming off of the 2020 election, The Bidens tells the Biden family story in full, from the secrets lurking in the deep recesses of Joe's family tree to his son Hunter's foreign deal-making spree - and the Trump gang's ham-handed efforts to exploit it.

​On November 3, Americans did not just elect Joe Biden: They got a package deal. The tight-knit Biden family - siblings, children, in-laws, and beyond - is coming right along with him. They are sure to play a defining role in his presidency, just as they have in every other one of his endeavors.

Inside, you’ll find these and other stories and revelations about the Biden family, including:

• Joe’s childhood, the stunning 1972 Senate upset engineered by his sister Valerie, and the car accident that took the lives of his first wife and infant daughter soon after
• Joe’s early years in the Senate and his role in the creation of the cozy “Delaware Way” of conducting politics
• The Biden brothers’ business escapades, including the ’70s rock club rivalry that pitted Jim Biden against Jill’s first husband and ended in a banking scandal
• The Delaware lawman who oversaw an FBI investigation into Joe’s 2007 campaign fundraising and now has Hunter in his sights
• Hunter’s surprisingly close friendship with his Fox News antagonist Tucker Carlson
• What Steve Bannon really hoped to accomplish by giving the contents of “the Laptop from Hell” to the New York Post
• New evidence that sheds light on the authenticity of Hunter’s alleged computer files

Like the Kennedys before them, the Bidens are a tight-knit, idealistic Irish Catholic clan with good looks, dynastic ambitions, and serious personal problems.

As The Bidens reveals, the best way to understand Joe Biden - his values, fears, and motives - is to understand his family: their Irish (and not-so-Irish) roots, their place in the Delaware pecking order, their dodgy business deals, and their personal struggles and triumphs alike.

©2021 Ben Schreckinger (P)2021 Twelve

Critic reviews

"Ben is one of the most savvy political observers and most entertaining writers of his generation - the Hunter S. Thompson of the Trump era. His reporting is second-to-none and his writing sparkles with insights about the most important figures of our time." (Garrett M. Graff, New York Times best-selling author of The Only Plane in the Sky)

"Ben Schreckinger takes us deep into the Biden family story, separating myth from reality and showcasing a clan that's rightly been called 'the middle-class Kennedys.' A must-read for those interested in the intersection between politics and personal history." (Peter S. Canellos, author of The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero)

"No journalist has spent more time in recent years studying and scrutinizing the Biden family than Ben Schreckinger. This book provides a singular look into the life of a president - and how it was shaped by the tragedies, scandals, and triumphs of his loyal Irish clan." (Tim Alberta, best-selling author of American Carnage)

nothing new here

My audible purchase of The Biden’s was after I saw Matt Taibbi interview Ben Shreckinger about his book. Unfortunately I have been disappointed, maybe expecting something different from a Politico journalist/investigator. The book describes Biden’s background but the information is not new ..just more spotlight on the manipulation of others to achieve political power ...past and present.

An Excellent Look into the Life of Biden

I grabbed this audio book on a recommendation by Ben Shapiro. I was curious how Catholic Joe Biden was such a anti-Christianity political figure and was so quick to side with issues that went against his faith. I think Joe Biden's loyalty that he was taught by his parents to family and beliefs ultimately led him to defy his faith in God and Catholicism for social issues that went against the church. He put his political career above his faith and this led him down a path that I believe he couldn't turn away from without losing office. Like many political figures Joe Biden was too concerned with his worldly legacy and left his spiritual walk in the past. It is sad to see that politics can lead a man to put his power over his convictions.

Overall good book and excellent listen. I recommend it for people who want more historical context on the Biden family.

Yes, this book has flaws, but...

... the quality of the content is superb. Author Ben Schreckinger is doubtless a political progressive but his treatments in THE BIDENS is balanced. So I am inclined to forgive the many indications that this book was published before it was thoroughly edited and well organized because the content is timely.

I would have believe and trusted a lot more and even recommended this book BUT…

The author works for politico so we know where his political alliance are. He does a half ass job at trying to tell the story but not so much about Joe being corrupt as his family. And whenever he can, he makes sure when It come to Trump and anything To do with Trump it is all the same de bunked info and he goes a step further to make sure u know trump isn’t doing what he is doing like looking into biden and Hunter in their scams in Russia Ukrain and China it’s about blackmail. He lost all credibility and with me at that point. Report the facts and keep ur opinions out if if this is supposed A true story.

Reliably Liberal

I knew when I bought the book it was going to treat the Biden family with a light touch. I wish the author would have been self aware enough to realize his tendency to label conservative sites with “far right” and other trigger warnings to let the reader know to discount what followed. Hmmm…no warnings were needed for liberal sites?

The author treats the October Hunter Biden laptop as if it were merely something Republicans were making up to dis Joe Biden when in fact it was Hunter’s laptop and it contained evidence of Biden malfeasance.

If you’re thinking about buying this book, ask yourself one question: If the laptop had been alleged to belong to Donald Trump Jr, would the media worked overtime to bury it?

You know the answer. And you know 8 months into Joe’s administration that he should have never been elected.

Informative, fair & entertaining

No matter your politics, The Bidens is worth a listen!

Story moves at a fun clip. Salacious details, redeeming anecdotes…listeners of all political stripes should find something of interest.

This (first?) comprehensive history of the first family is well worth your time.

Reads like a made up story

A corrupt family made to look heroic with Joey as the leading chacter. Dont waste your time unless you like fairy tales. I wasted a credit for this garbage