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mnh 's review for:
Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years
by David Litt
I was 24 years old. Most of my proudest achievements in life fell under the category of "over-complicated pranks." But starting April 1st, I was cleared to work in the White House.
David Litt was one of Obama's speech writers, and this book is an inside look at his time with the President. Litt is hilarious in a self-deprecating, don't-take-yourself-too-seriously kind of way. His stories about Obama are so nostalgic, also. I voted for Obama's opponent in both presidential elections, but over the past few years I have come to see how great of a man he really is. Litt talks about his humor, his way of making everyone feel like they matter, and his genuine desire to make the country a better place for EVERYONE.
I found the way Litt described the role of a speech writer to be very informative:
If you're working with a writer, chances are you're an expert. And if you're an expert, chances are you're boring. You can't help it. The more you know about a subject, the harder it is to express your knowledge in a way the rest of us understand. As professional dilettantes, speech writers use their short attention spans to your advantage. Sifting through the dense muck of facts and anecdote, they find nuggets worth something to the outside world.
We also get to hear about Obama's sense of humor and how he used social media and comedy to get his messages out. He went on Funny or Die's Between Two Ferns to talk about the Affordable Care Act, and he played along with Key and Peele's Luther, the Anger Translator skit at the Correspondents' Dinner. Litt reflects on its success: "In just 48 hours, Luther, the Anger Translator, had become the most popular government produced video in internet history. I bring this up for two reasons. And the first...is bragging."
Excellent audiobook. David Litt's delivery is awesome.
David Litt was one of Obama's speech writers, and this book is an inside look at his time with the President. Litt is hilarious in a self-deprecating, don't-take-yourself-too-seriously kind of way. His stories about Obama are so nostalgic, also. I voted for Obama's opponent in both presidential elections, but over the past few years I have come to see how great of a man he really is. Litt talks about his humor, his way of making everyone feel like they matter, and his genuine desire to make the country a better place for EVERYONE.
I found the way Litt described the role of a speech writer to be very informative:
If you're working with a writer, chances are you're an expert. And if you're an expert, chances are you're boring. You can't help it. The more you know about a subject, the harder it is to express your knowledge in a way the rest of us understand. As professional dilettantes, speech writers use their short attention spans to your advantage. Sifting through the dense muck of facts and anecdote, they find nuggets worth something to the outside world.
We also get to hear about Obama's sense of humor and how he used social media and comedy to get his messages out. He went on Funny or Die's Between Two Ferns to talk about the Affordable Care Act, and he played along with Key and Peele's Luther, the Anger Translator skit at the Correspondents' Dinner. Litt reflects on its success: "In just 48 hours, Luther, the Anger Translator, had become the most popular government produced video in internet history. I bring this up for two reasons. And the first...is bragging."
Excellent audiobook. David Litt's delivery is awesome.