This is the story of a man who faced down personal challenges and tragedy, to become a public servant who refuses to be cynical about political leadership. As a senator from Delaware since 1973, Joe Biden has been a witness to the major events of the past four decades and a relentless actor in trying to shape recent American history. Here he reveals what these experiences taught him about himself, his colleagues, and the institutions of government. He shows how the guiding principles he learned early in life--the obligation to work to make people's lives better, to honor family and faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter how hard you've been knocked down, to be honest and straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises--are the foundations on which he has based his life's work as husband, father, and public servant--Publisher.