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4.55 AVERAGE
4.55 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
At a current average rating of 4.63 at this writing, I am glad to see that this book hasn't been subjected to 1-star trolling -- tho probably helps it is from Cody Keenan, head speechwriter for Obama (post Jon Favreau), who I'm guessing a lot of folks don't know -- and shamefully I even have to add my myself to the list! Gladly I can say that has now been corrected and I know his role in what I think will go down as one of the greatest and certainly most memorable presidential speeches - Obama's eulogy for Clementa C. Pinckney, pastor of the Emanuel African Methodist Church in Charleston where the pastor and eight of his parishioners were gunned down by a white supremacist. But backtracking that week (or actually the 10 days of the title) also entailed Supreme Court decisions over the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) and marriage equality -- so as noted in the book, this short time from was some real-life (NBC series) "The West Wing" material.
Going back to the high average rating for this book, I am guessing it is due to folks having the same reaction as I did reading this book. Multiple times I had goosebumps and mistiness in the eyes and it was very personal for me as a gay man with the Supreme Court decision (tho I did get married about 6 months prior to that thanks to a 9th Circuit Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Arizona where I was living at the time) and also as someone who utilizes the ACA as a self-employed business owner. But even beyond that if you have an ounce of empathy in your soul or if you believe that that proverbial moral arc of the universe bends toward good, I'm guessing this book will move you in the same way. And then on top of that add in the Charleston shooting aspect adding in gun violence and racism -- and this book is a LOT in a very good way, but in a very sad way as well given all that has transpired since Obama left office. (Insert diatribe on the state of politics, the country, the world, etc., etc., etc.).
Keenan has a funny line in the opening pages: "I couldn't, however, say the same about my job. To be a speechwriter for Barack Obama is f&cking terrifying." So it goes without saying (but I will!), that this is a very well-written and extremely informative book about the speechwriting process as well as a fascinating inside look at working in the White House and the personalities (the Obamas, Valerie Jarrett, and Jen Psaki to name a few). For instance, the Charleston eulogy was one that both Obama and Keenan did not want a part of, but again ultimately became one of the great moments in Obama's presidency thanks to the "bones" created by Keenan and the Obama's involvement and spontaneous-ish-ly breaking out in song to "Amazing Grace."
A no-brainer Goodreads' 5 stars (4.5 stars here on Storygraph) on this one for the pure emotion the book elicited even tho I found myself having to put in down for both good and bad/sad reasons, often occurring within 30 seconds of each other (Oh this aspirational, "hope-y change-y" stuff is what the United States of America is all about! Look at things now (sad trombone)!). But yeah, one of those book that I will highly tout to 80% of my friends and family on Facebook and hide the post from the other 20%!
Going back to the high average rating for this book, I am guessing it is due to folks having the same reaction as I did reading this book. Multiple times I had goosebumps and mistiness in the eyes and it was very personal for me as a gay man with the Supreme Court decision (tho I did get married about 6 months prior to that thanks to a 9th Circuit Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Arizona where I was living at the time) and also as someone who utilizes the ACA as a self-employed business owner. But even beyond that if you have an ounce of empathy in your soul or if you believe that that proverbial moral arc of the universe bends toward good, I'm guessing this book will move you in the same way. And then on top of that add in the Charleston shooting aspect adding in gun violence and racism -- and this book is a LOT in a very good way, but in a very sad way as well given all that has transpired since Obama left office. (Insert diatribe on the state of politics, the country, the world, etc., etc., etc.).
Keenan has a funny line in the opening pages: "I couldn't, however, say the same about my job. To be a speechwriter for Barack Obama is f&cking terrifying." So it goes without saying (but I will!), that this is a very well-written and extremely informative book about the speechwriting process as well as a fascinating inside look at working in the White House and the personalities (the Obamas, Valerie Jarrett, and Jen Psaki to name a few). For instance, the Charleston eulogy was one that both Obama and Keenan did not want a part of, but again ultimately became one of the great moments in Obama's presidency thanks to the "bones" created by Keenan and the Obama's involvement and spontaneous-ish-ly breaking out in song to "Amazing Grace."
A no-brainer Goodreads' 5 stars (4.5 stars here on Storygraph) on this one for the pure emotion the book elicited even tho I found myself having to put in down for both good and bad/sad reasons, often occurring within 30 seconds of each other (Oh this aspirational, "hope-y change-y" stuff is what the United States of America is all about! Look at things now (sad trombone)!). But yeah, one of those book that I will highly tout to 80% of my friends and family on Facebook and hide the post from the other 20%!
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced