Beautiful Things (book)
![]() First edition cover | |
Author | Hunter Biden |
---|---|
Audio read by | Hunter Biden |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Subject | Memoir |
Publisher | Gallery Books |
Publication date | April 6, 2021 |
Media type | Print (hardcover), e-book, audiobook |
Pages | 272 |
ISBN | 978-1-9821-5111-9 (hardcover) |
Beautiful Things: A Memoir is a 2021 memoir by American lawyer Hunter Biden, who is the second son of U.S. President Joe Biden and his first wife, Neilia Hunter Biden. It was published on April 6, 2021 by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. In The New York Times reviewer Elisabeth Egan described the book as "equal parts family saga, grief narrative and addict's howl".[1]
Synopsis[]
Hunter Biden is a Yale-educated lawyer.[2]
In Beautiful Things, Hunter Biden writes about his family and recounts his history of substance abuse and path to sobriety. He discusses the grief and trauma he experienced following the death of his brother Beau Biden and the 1972 car accident in which he was injured and that killed his mother, Neilia, and his sister, Naomi. He also defends his time on a Ukraine company board.
Hunter Biden told CBS that his cocaine addiction reached a zenith in 2015 after the death of his brother Beau.[3]
Publication and promotion[]
Beautiful Things was published in hardcover and e-book format on April 6, 2021 by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.[4] An audiobook, narrated by Biden, was released the same day.[5]
Biden promoted the book with a series of media appearances, including a CBS Sunday Morning interview by Tracy Smith and a CBS This Morning interview by Anthony Mason.[6] Biden also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live![7] and WTF with Marc Maron.[8]
The book debuted at number four on The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending April 10, 2021.[9] It also ranked number 130 on the Amazon Best Sellers, but sold just 10,000 copies in the first week.
Reception[]
Marianne Szegedy-Maszak of The Washington Post called it "at once harrowing, relentless and a determined exercise in trying to seize his own narrative from the clutches of the Republicans and the press."[10] Seija Rankin of Entertainment Weekly praised Biden's "raw" depiction of addiction; Rankin, however, believed the book's narrative felt rushed and included unnecessary details that felt scripted.[11]
References[]
- ^ "Hunter Biden's Memoir: 7 Takeaways From 'Beautiful Things'". The New York Times. April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "Hunter Biden on his memoir "Beautiful Things" and his struggles with substance abuse". CBS News. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Sutton, Candace (April 12, 2021). "Shocking photos of Hunter Biden's crack addict teeth". News.com.au. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
- ^ Biden, Hunter (April 6, 2021). Beautiful Things: A Memoir by Hunter Biden. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781982151119. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Beautiful Things: A Memoir by Hunter Biden; read by Hunter Biden. Simon & Schuster. April 6, 2021. ISBN 9781797113005. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (April 2, 2021). "Hunter Biden will talk about drug intervention, notorious laptop in CBS interviews". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Bowker, Brittany (April 9, 2021). "Hunter Biden discusses new memoir, laughs off Trump criticism on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Chatelain, Ryan (April 6, 2021). "Hunter Biden Opens Up About Being Target of Political Attacks". NY1. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ "Combined Print & E-Book Nonfiction - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne (March 31, 2021). "Hunter Biden's singular memoir of grief and addiction". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ Rankin, Seija (April 1, 2021). "Hunter Biden's Beautiful Things is an unflinchingly honest look inside the First Family: Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- 2021 non-fiction books
- American memoirs
- Literature about substance abuse
- Debut books
- Memoirs about drugs
- Books about cocaine
- Books about Joe Biden