Jill Biden is set to publish a memoir that looks back at her four years as first lady and, in her account, at the period when President Joe Biden abruptly ended his 2024 presidential reelection bid. In an interview with The Associated Press, she described the project as reflective and said writing it helped her process both difficult and “beautiful moments” during his presidency.
The publisher, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced Wednesday that “View from the East Wing: A Memoir” is scheduled to be released June 2. Jill Biden told the AP that the book is a “reflection of my four years as first lady” and said it was “somewhat healing,” describing the act of writing as “kind of cathartic for me to write it.”
Biden said she has not previously discussed her feelings about the three-week stretch when her husband decided to end his bid for another term. She told the AP that she kept those thoughts from public view and “saved her thoughts for the pages” of the memoir.
She previously declined to discuss the decision publicly when asked earlier this week, including by referencing her husband’s choice to leave a political career she said had spanned five decades. In a video shared on Instagram, she said she wants to “set the record straight,” according to the AP.
The AP reported that the memoir also addresses the health crisis that shaped the later years of Joe Biden’s presidency. The former president’s office announced in May 2025 that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, and that he was receiving treatment. Jill Biden told the AP that the diagnosis was “quite a shock” and said that the fact the cancer is “in his bones” means “he will have cancer, you know, all his lifetime,” adding that doctors told her he will “live out his natural life.”
Biden said he continues to make visits to Washington at least once a week for meetings or speeches. She also joked about the routine of their retirement, telling the AP, “Like most retired couples, he’ll probably drive me crazy till the end of it,” as the two adjust to the illness and its treatment.
In addition to the campaign and health material, the publisher said the memoir includes what it described as an account of serving during a unique period in U.S. history. That period includes the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, with Joe Biden sworn into office on Jan. 20, 2021, just two weeks after the attack.
The memoir also reflects Biden’s long-running focus on roles she balanced outside and alongside the presidency. The AP reported that she taught English and writing for decades at the community college level and continued teaching twice a week at a Northern Virginia school while serving as first lady. It also said she currently chairs the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network.
Jill Biden’s book follows her earlier memoir work and her writing beyond politics. The AP reported that she authored “Where the Light Enters,” published in 2019, and has also written three children’s books.