crystalisreading 's review for:

Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years by David Litt

4.0

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This was an easy and entertaining read by David Litt, one of President Obama's speechwriters. The catchy title sets the tone for a lighthearted and amusing, yet seemingly sincere book. David is part of a generation very much aware of perception of self, and he writes accordingly, cleverly self deprecating, admitting his own flaws but spinning them to be charming and authentic and realistic. Listening to the audio version gave me a chance to hear the story in David's own voice, which added another dimension of authenticity to the telling. Knowing that the author is someone who spins words for a living means that there is always a slight level of skepticism, and always a level of great writing that is noticeably great. I am not sure I trusted David and his interpretation of events 100%, and yet I believed the majority of what he said, and liked him. He's an imperfect but sane person who was part of an imperfect but sane administration, an era that seems further and further away in the annals of history every day. Reading David's story made me nostalgic for days of common sense and rationality, and for a president who wasn't perfect, but who cared. I found the behind the scenes impressions interesting, as well as helpful for better understanding that administration. It's worth a read.