A review by readswithnatalieb
Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America by Cody Keenan

5.0

Holy moly, I loved this book. It’s widely known I gravitate towards nonfiction, but I’m not one to dive too much into political nonfiction (especially in 2023) because of the sadness it brings me. While there were plenty of things I didn’t agree with President Obama on, there was a lot I saw eye to eye on, making him a likable president (in my eyes). So, reminiscing on what we once had, and the seven years following makes me so incredibly sad.

But for real, Keenan has such a talent. He’s an incredible writer and there’s a lot of the speeches he wrote for President Obama that I remember vividly. Most gave me goosebumps or made me smile or tear up, and it was super fascinating to be able to understand the situation and everything that went into those speeches.

Keenan seems so sincere, too. He admitted speechwriting is a group effort, despite him being the Director. He was quick to give credit where credit is due, which was an aspect I appreciated the most. 

I think I could go on and on about this one, which is why I should probably stop my review here. But bottom line, if you’ve been curious about what happens on the inside of the White House or want to reminisce on President Obama’s time in office, this book is for you.

Content warnings: gun violence, racism, murder