Biden The Obama years and the battle for the soul of America

A generous photo tribute to the former vice president and current Democratic candidate for president. Lienemann, a New Mexico--based lifestyle photographer, documented Biden's eight years as vice president to Barack Obama, following him to nearly every U.S. state and more than 60 countries. Here, Lienemann draws from the more than 900,000 photos he snapped during his tenure with Biden. The vast majority of the photos are skillful, and some of the shots are especially memorable: Biden with SEAL trainees, interacting with troops in Baghdad, signing a soldier's flag, golfing with Obama at Joint Base Andrews, visiting Dachau with a Holocaust survivor, mourning the death of his son Beau, and speaking with the staff of Orlando's Pulse nightclub after the 2016 mass shooting. The primary problem with the book is the text, which would have benefitted from a seasoned writer's touch; there's not much spark in the captions either. Aside from sharing the photos as an homage to Biden, what is the purpose of the book? Lienemann seems unsure, especially regarding how much he should appear in the narrative. It would have been interesting to hear more about his relationships with the Bidens and their team during those eight intense years. When he tells us almost in passing that he met his future wife in the White House, most readers will be eager for further information. The same could be said for the author/photographer's coverage of the mechanics of Biden's politics. Why not include more about Biden's campaign for Hillary Clinton, "who[m] he saw as the natural successor to the Obama-Biden administration"? Were Biden and Clinton close? As America faces the Trump-Biden election in November, Lienemann leaves us wondering--as we enjoy his terrific photos--what might have happened if Biden was the Democratic candidate in 2016. Biden's wife, Jill, provides the foreword. Savor the visual presentation; skim the text. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.