New book, "Out of the Shadows," Eloquently Details a Young Mother’s Tortured Relationship to Hunter Biden

By Sanna Hannele Voltti, Special to The Kennedy Beacon

Joe Biden may no longer be running for re-election, but, at least at the moment, he remains the president until January 2025 – and his family continues to be in the public eye. 

Especially Hunter Biden, who on August 13 was the subject of a news article by The New York Times that delved into one of Hunter’s shadowy business deals. After his father’s (inelegant) exit from the presidential race, the Times reports, the Biden administration released records that revealed Hunter tried to leverage his father’s position as vice president (at the time), to get the State Department to help a Ukrainian company. Hunter wanted the U.S. Embassy in Italy to broker an introduction, on his behalf, between Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, and the president of the Tuscany region of Italy, where Burisma wanted to launch a geothermal project. Hunter was a board member of Burisma and stood to profit.

Hunter’s project, as the Times writes, “eventually fizzled.” But this case, coupled with other dubious business dealings while his father was in positions of power within the U.S. government, casts further ignominy on his father’s own political career, marked by stumbles and controversies. 

Against this backdrop comes a new book written by Lunden Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden’s fourth child, Navy Joan Roberts, now five years old. The book is titled Out of the Shadows: My Life Inside the Wild World of Hunter Biden and will be released on August 20 by Skyhorse Publishing.

Above all, Out of Shadows sheds new light on Biden’s personal struggles. He has battled addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine. He has sought treatment multiple times. He faces legal challenges, for tax evasion, and allegations of unethical business practices, including the one involving Burisma. In June, Hunter was convicted on three felony gun charges.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed sympathy for Hunter Biden, empathizing with the intense public scrutiny and criticism Hunter has endured due to his battle with addiction and his status as the son of a public figure. Kennedy, who has faced similar challenges and family tragedies, finds Hunter’s struggles particularly relatable. However, Kennedy’s empathy does not extend to Hunter’s shady foreign business dealings.

Roberts doesn’t write about those potentially treasonous business agreements in Ukraine and other countries. In April 2014, for example, Hunter Biden joined the board of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings. His role included consulting on corporate governance and providing legal and strategic advice. The well-paid position raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest, given that his father was heading the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy. Burisma and its founder were under investigation for corruption at the time.

The allegations against Hunter Biden have been concerning given that he was reportedly participating in White House meetings with his father and senior aides beginning in early July, following the disastrous debate with Donald Trump. Although Joe Biden quit his reelection campaign, Hunter had encouraged his father to stay in the race. 

Roberts, rather, focuses on the man she loved.

“Every woman has a man she wants to save; for me, it was Hunter Biden,” writes Roberts, opening up for the first time about their tumultuous relationship and the complexities that ensued, including the birth of their daughter. Recounting their relationship, subsequent legal battles, and the challenges of single motherhood, Roberts offers a raw and revealing account of her journey.

The memoir begins with the story of their first meeting, in 2017 in Washington, D.C. Roberts was invited to a late-night party at the House of Sweden, where Biden’s investment firm, Rosemont Seneca, was located. Roberts describes her first encounter with Biden: “A man sitting in an office chair leaning over a small desk, meticulously organizing a series of small glass tubes and copper strands [which are used to smoke drugs],” she writes. “He looks determined. He isn’t wearing after-party clothes like everyone else; instead, he’s sitting there in brightly colored boxer briefs with parrots all over them.”

Meeting Biden left Roberts intrigued, and they kept in touch. Despite his troubled past and ongoing struggles with addiction, Biden captivated Roberts with his sincerity and kindness. Their relationship quickly evolved beyond casual encounters, leading to moments of intimacy and connection.

Roberts, now 33 years old, introduced her friends to Biden, and they all shared a casual relationship filled with parties, booze, and drugs. Biden frequently drifted in and out of Roberts’s life, disappearing for months before resurfacing. She writes: “Everyone in his life knows you can’t get in touch with Hunter; Hunter will get in touch with you.” She describes Biden’s crack cocaine addiction as a “demon” that almost took his life during their time together. She recalls a particular night when she thought he might die:

I cry, wondering if he is even struggling at all anymore, or if he has just given up and let the demon take everything. I cry, knowing that if he doesn’t get help, the demon will take him down. I cry, knowing that he has to be scared and somehow his mind managed to get him back to me. A safe place. Someone he can trust to take care of him.

But then he opens his mouth. “Get me my backpack. I need my coke.” No “Good morning.” No “What happened last night?” The first words from his mouth show the demon didn’t lose. He actually won. He took Hunter to the brink of death, then let him return to us … just to torture him all over again. I get him his backpack. He gets up, showers, and comes back like a new man. The old Hunter is back, joking, making wisecracks, and acting like nothing happened. He terrified me the night before, but now, I am just relieved that he is okay, so I go with it.

No Contact with His Child

After getting Roberts pregnant, Biden “ghosted” her. He had come and gone unpredictably before, but now he completely disappeared from her life, and she moved back to her home state of Arkansas. 

Later, they got in touch again, but Biden was reluctant to fully acknowledge their daughter. Despite his initial denials and attempts to evade responsibility, Roberts pursued legal action to establish paternity, leading to a media frenzy that thrust her into the spotlight. To this day, Biden has not met their daughter in person, but they have communicated through Zoom calls. 

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden still haven’t had any contact with their granddaughter. 

In a chapter called “Who’s Your Daddy,” Roberts delves further into 5-year-old Navy Joan’s connection with her father. Through Roberts’s lens, the reader witnesses a mother’s struggle to balance honesty with protection, letting Navy know who her father is, but without revealing the harsh reality of his public image and addiction. 

Roberts vividly portrays her resilience in facing societal judgment, legal battles, and the complexities of single parenthood She candidly details the emotional toll of motherhood in Hunter’s absence. Throughout the memoir, she grapples with her identity, societal expectations, and the relentless scrutiny that comes with being linked to the Biden family.

Roberts’s sympathetic and loving portrayal of Hunter Biden doesn’t hide the fact that, according to her memoir, he is a wreck of a man whose addiction runs his life and relationships. She paints him as a fun-loving, good-hearted man who nonetheless left her alone to deal with their child. 

Roberts’s book is skillfully written and offers honest and emotional insights about her relationship with Biden, presenting a nuanced view of him, in contrast to the often scandalous headlines. Additionally, her story highlights the resilience and determination of a young, single mother striving to provide the best for her daughter. 

The book is captivating and hard to put down from the very first paragraph, which speaks well for first-time author Roberts’s talent as a writer.

[The president of Skyhorse Publishing is Tony Lyons, who is also co-chair of American Values 2024, the super PAC that funds The Kennedy Beacon.]