Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America
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- Create Date：2022-10-11 17:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Cody Keenan
- ISBN：B09T3H14BK
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Summary
From President Obama's chief speechwriter Cody Keenan， a spellbinding account of ten days of the presidency， in June 2015， when a racist massacre and two impending Supreme Court decisions put the character of our country on the line， and a President's words could bring the nation together or tear it apart
Reviews
Tiffany Acosta
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Audio book
Linda
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As a writer during my own days in public policy， this book resonated with me， and sometimes made me cry。 Both a solitary as well as a collaborative pursuit， the power of the pen， or laptop remains immeasurable in its use for good or Ill。 The ten days in the life of our nation outlined in this book， provide a small glimpse as well as a framework for how words can be used to offer hope， joy， peace， comfort…and grace in extraordinary ways at the intersection of public policy and faith。
Nate S
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Mr。 Keenan’s book delves deep into the personalities and inner-workings of the Obama White House。 He deftly weaves details about political communications as well as America， itself， into a detailed recounting of a 10-day period of 2015 that serves as a microcosm of the Obama Presidency， Keenan’s work， and our national politics。 Masterful both for its narrow focus while seamlessly showing putting 10 days during 2015 into the larger context of American history。 Well worth the read！
Beth
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Fascinating behind the scenes of Pres。 Obama's speech writer and the meticulous care and concern about how words and messages from a President - the country's leader - can help a nation heal， or feel hope， or capture the vision and desire for what America should be。 Fascinating behind the scenes of Pres。 Obama's speech writer and the meticulous care and concern about how words and messages from a President - the country's leader - can help a nation heal， or feel hope， or capture the vision and desire for what America should be。 。。。more
Caroline
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4。5⭐️ This was one of my favorites of all the Obama-era memoirs I’ve read。 I loved the framing of the book and how it spanned ten days but was interwoven with stories from other times in the Obama administration。 Also， just as someone who teaches rhetoric， I’m a big fan of speechwriters and seeing this inside look at how they get made was fascinating。 Sometimes a little repetitive in parts， but I loved overall。
Star Gater
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Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for accepting my request to read and review Grace。 Author: Cody KeenanPublished: 10/04/22Genre: Biographies & Memoirs - Nonfiction （Adults） - PoliticsFrom intern to chief speechwriter for Barack Obama we get the sense and work behind the speeches the president gives。 Keenan also explains the reason and the process of fact checking。 In addition， he touches on why speechwriters are used。 As a writer， he had to move quickly and several of the ten days he covers Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books for accepting my request to read and review Grace。 Author: Cody KeenanPublished: 10/04/22Genre: Biographies & Memoirs - Nonfiction （Adults） - PoliticsFrom intern to chief speechwriter for Barack Obama we get the sense and work behind the speeches the president gives。 Keenan also explains the reason and the process of fact checking。 In addition， he touches on why speechwriters are used。 As a writer， he had to move quickly and several of the ten days he covers are mass shootings。 No two speeches can be the same， and they have to be sincere。 I was intrigued by the process and how important President Obama took each word。 It was impressive。 As Keenan reiterates conversations I could hear Obama's voice。 I particularly enjoyed hearing about riding in Air Force One， and the facts on the Presidential motorcade， and the discipline of Obama's diet and alcohol intake。 I thoroughly enjoyed the snippets of stories， on monumental days， I remember living。 Hearing President Obama's chats as relayed through Keenan were insightful。 There is profanity。 I would gift this to a student， there is a lot to learn here。 It's cleverly written， sincere and heart warming。 It's a fast read for smart people。 。。。more
Evan DeMayo
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RevTimely reminder that government-and the dutiful staff/technocrats that serve- has capacity to affect so much change。Incisive look into the grueling struggle and payoffs of public service。Tonic for anyone that's become dispirited the last 6 years。 RevTimely reminder that government-and the dutiful staff/technocrats that serve- has capacity to affect so much change。Incisive look into the grueling struggle and payoffs of public service。Tonic for anyone that's become dispirited the last 6 years。 。。。more
Steph
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Ok， so I am a fan of the former POTUS。 Seen through the eyes of Cody Keenan， my admiration has not dulled。 Like the vision for his country， Obama allowed himself to change his opinions to align better with his hope for the country。 This also gives an insight into the pressure and support around writing speeches for Obama and his deft hand at turning good into great。It ends with a shattering comparison of the compassion of the new vs former president for his constituents。 All of them。
Victoria
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this was a really beautiful book and the end made me cry on the subway。 also - if like me， you love an inside look at the behind the scenes of how things get done， this is a great book。
Didde Elnif
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Jeg har læst et utal af Obama administration-bøger， og den her ligger helt i toppen。 Rammen er god fordi den løber over få， men betydningsfulde， dage。 På den måde får den fortalt en helt overordnet strukturel historie om Obamas tid som præsident - med fokus på en enkelt tale。 Lydbogen fungerer sjældent godt， fordi forfatteren er tydeligt vant til at skrive til det talte sprog - og også formår at indtale selv。 Den er både opløftende og deprimerende at læse her midt i den danske valgkamp， både for Jeg har læst et utal af Obama administration-bøger， og den her ligger helt i toppen。 Rammen er god fordi den løber over få， men betydningsfulde， dage。 På den måde får den fortalt en helt overordnet strukturel historie om Obamas tid som præsident - med fokus på en enkelt tale。 Lydbogen fungerer sjældent godt， fordi forfatteren er tydeligt vant til at skrive til det talte sprog - og også formår at indtale selv。 Den er både opløftende og deprimerende at læse her midt i den danske valgkamp， både fordi al fnidderet bliver så tydeligt， men også fordi det er godt at blive mindet om at medmenneskelighed， visioner og ordentlighed faktisk er muligt i politik。 。。。more
Amanda
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“And we named her Grace。” 😭😭😭I loved this。 My favorite Obama insider memoir - and I loved how it drilled down into a few days， and built context around that， versus trying to cover the entire timespan。 Well done。
Kelly
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Remembering all the hope， even through sadness， during the Obama years… Cried multiple times。 Highly recommended。
M
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I've read the Clinton biographies， I've read the Obama biographies （in both cases， both husband and wife）， and The West Wing is easily one of my favorite television shows。 While I'm more of a poet and literary prose reader， I am still one of the ideal readers of this book--already a built-in fan of Obama's decisions （not all， but so many） and especially admiring of this moment in our own country's history。Keenan is a speechwriter， and that shows。 He isn't interested in the work of language in th I've read the Clinton biographies， I've read the Obama biographies （in both cases， both husband and wife）， and The West Wing is easily one of my favorite television shows。 While I'm more of a poet and literary prose reader， I am still one of the ideal readers of this book--already a built-in fan of Obama's decisions （not all， but so many） and especially admiring of this moment in our own country's history。Keenan is a speechwriter， and that shows。 He isn't interested in the work of language in the same ways as me， but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of strong and direct words that take on the difficulty of witnessing and playing a very specific role as history moves at the sometimes too-slow and too-heartbreaking pace。I enjoyed learning about the writing process of these speeches。 Sometimes I'm lucky enough to teach a Speech class， and I feel as if talking about this lengthy， symbiotic process would be really compelling for them。And I admit: I cried when I read the last sentence。 I didn't expect it， and it could have been done in such a hokey way， but Keenan earns it， and I'm just so grateful that people like Obama and Keenan and so many others who are mentioned in the book are in this world， fighting the good fight。 。。。more
Ryan Crackel
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This book is an absolute must read and probably my favorite book of the year thus far。 Keenan enlightens his audience on the inspiring attitude of former President Obama to the point that one cannot help but feel a little inspired from his attitude and that of his teams'。 There are plenty of quotes I highlighted throughout the book but I'll simply copy the one that shone a little brighter than the others while also encapsulating the quintessential hopeful attitude towards America that Obama foug This book is an absolute must read and probably my favorite book of the year thus far。 Keenan enlightens his audience on the inspiring attitude of former President Obama to the point that one cannot help but feel a little inspired from his attitude and that of his teams'。 There are plenty of quotes I highlighted throughout the book but I'll simply copy the one that shone a little brighter than the others while also encapsulating the quintessential hopeful attitude towards America that Obama fought for throughout his presidency: "The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word We。 We the People。 We Shall Overcome。 Yes We Can。 That word is owned by no one。 It belongs to everyone。 Oh， what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours。" 。。。more
Mark Chimel
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Cody Keenan's Twitter thread on the 10 days covered in this book has been one of my favorite tweet threads ever so I was very excited for this book to hear his account of these days in greater detail。 I also have also read and listened to other accounts of Obama staffers about their time in the administration。 That being said， this book definitely delivered on providing further detail on 10 pivotal days in the Obama administration from the perspective of his chief speechwriter at the time and of Cody Keenan's Twitter thread on the 10 days covered in this book has been one of my favorite tweet threads ever so I was very excited for this book to hear his account of these days in greater detail。 I also have also read and listened to other accounts of Obama staffers about their time in the administration。 That being said， this book definitely delivered on providing further detail on 10 pivotal days in the Obama administration from the perspective of his chief speechwriter at the time and offered unique perspectives on the administration。 It may seem like focusing on just 10 days of the administration would not provide enough content for a book， but Keenan intersperses some other anecdotes and details about the innerworkings of administration throughout and their is really a lot of depth into what went into planning the vitally important speeches for these monumental days。 It's still hard to believe that so much happened in such a short period of time and I don't know how Keenan and the other staffers made it through all the work that was required。 Still， there were times where parts of the narrative felt slightly like filler， which is why I can't give this a full five stars。 However， overall I think this is a compelling book that adds its own unique pieces to the Obama presidency canon and definitely gives a strong idea of what it is like to be a speechwriter for the most powerful person in the world。*I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kristina
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There have been a plethora of memoirs that have come out from staffers from the Obama presidency。 I have read several of them （and enjoyed）， but was a bit burned out on them。 Cody Keenan takes a different angle than many of the memoirs by focusing his book Grace on a ten-day period of time in the Obama presidency， centering around what is one， if not his most memorable speeches in his presidency- the eulogy at Reverend Clementa Pinckney's funeral in Charleston after the horrid shooting at the ch There have been a plethora of memoirs that have come out from staffers from the Obama presidency。 I have read several of them （and enjoyed）， but was a bit burned out on them。 Cody Keenan takes a different angle than many of the memoirs by focusing his book Grace on a ten-day period of time in the Obama presidency， centering around what is one， if not his most memorable speeches in his presidency- the eulogy at Reverend Clementa Pinckney's funeral in Charleston after the horrid shooting at the church。 Keenan begins in the prologue by highlighting the speechwriting process on another memorable speech （Obama's speech at the 50th anniversary of Selma）。 Within the book he charts on day one when the news of the Charleston shooting broke through the day of the speech。 The reader is able to understand the multiple pressures a speechwriting team is under and the development of a speech over time。 Obama is a fantastic writer， but even when he heavily edits a draft of a speech， themes that Keenan has developed are still there。 It was enlightening to see the amount of collaboration。 Keenan is having to balance Obama's resistance of doing another speech post-gun violence， the racial component to the crime， and the country's lack of progress on meaningful gun reform。 What provides the driving theme of the speech is when the families of the victims voice words of grace towards the shooter， a concept difficult to imagine given the circumstances。 Overlapping this timespan is the big Supreme Court decisions of the term- up that week are the second challenge to the ACA and the Obergefell （same sex marriage） decision。 The speechwriting team have to draft speeches linked to multiple potential outcomes of those decisions。 I had forgotten that the same sex marriage decision came down the same day as the Charleston speech。 Talk about a wallop of an emotional day。 I really appreciated the focused look at the Obama presidency- using a short time span to highlight larger goals， successes， and failures of the administration。 In the pile of memoirs from this period， Keenan's stands out。 And I will just say the final sentence of the epilogue （no spoilers） hit me with an unexpected emotional wallop。Thank you to Mariner Books via NetGalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review。 。。。more
audrey oaks
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I am obsessed with Obama and when I saw this title I knew I had to read it。 Cody Keenan was a speech writer for Obama。 Even as I type that - I am thinking how all of his speeches are so spellbinding - how they speak to our hearts - so it is interesting to read how those speeches come together。 This book ， Grace， is about 10 very important days of the Obama presidency - a white supremacist shooting， the fate of marriage equality and the Affordable Care Act - and a truly behind the scenes look of I am obsessed with Obama and when I saw this title I knew I had to read it。 Cody Keenan was a speech writer for Obama。 Even as I type that - I am thinking how all of his speeches are so spellbinding - how they speak to our hearts - so it is interesting to read how those speeches come together。 This book ， Grace， is about 10 very important days of the Obama presidency - a white supremacist shooting， the fate of marriage equality and the Affordable Care Act - and a truly behind the scenes look of what it was llike to be there。 A must read for all political enthusiasts。 。。。more
Nev
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Well， this made me cry multiple times。 Grace follows a very interesting and emotional 10 day span during Obama’s presidency through the eyes of his chief speechwriter Cody Keenan。 The time that this book focuses on was the period in June 2015 between the horrific mass shooting at a church in Charleston， South Carolina where 9 Black people were killed and the funeral for Clementa Pinckney where Obama delivered the eulogy and sang Amazing Grace。 But in that same time period the future of the Affor Well， this made me cry multiple times。 Grace follows a very interesting and emotional 10 day span during Obama’s presidency through the eyes of his chief speechwriter Cody Keenan。 The time that this book focuses on was the period in June 2015 between the horrific mass shooting at a church in Charleston， South Carolina where 9 Black people were killed and the funeral for Clementa Pinckney where Obama delivered the eulogy and sang Amazing Grace。 But in that same time period the future of the Affordable Care Act and same-sex marriage were due to be decided by the Supreme Court。 Keenan， along with a team of other speechwriters， had to plan multiple speeches for massive events， preparing for any possible outcomes。 I think this book does a great job of showing the behind the scenes of the day to day activities of a presidential speechwriter。 But it also excellently shows the emotional toll of having to write speeches for numerous mass shootings and funerals over the years。 There’s a sense of having nothing left to say， but then still coming up with an amazing speech nonetheless。 Seeing the way that Obama would work with the speechwriters and edit what they had written was really interesting。 The way that Keenan wrote this book almost made it feel like a novel at times， it’s really easy to picture the different scenarios and get caught up in the narrative。 Pulling all nighters， only having the title staring back at you from the top of a blank page， sadness and anger， celebratory joy， the White House lit up in rainbow lights。 This book has so many moving and relatable moments。 I flew through this in less than a day。 Definitely check it out if the subject sounds interesting to you！Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Beth H
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I received an advanced copy of this book。 I was very excited to read this book by Cody Keenan， Obama's chief speechwriter， because I went to school with one of his staff members， and I always remember being intrigued by the process and collaboration that went into Obama's speeches。 This book focuses on a ten day period that was full of key events and Supreme Court decisions， and it explores how each word that Obama spoke to the nation was thought through， and presented。 The events that impacted I received an advanced copy of this book。 I was very excited to read this book by Cody Keenan， Obama's chief speechwriter， because I went to school with one of his staff members， and I always remember being intrigued by the process and collaboration that went into Obama's speeches。 This book focuses on a ten day period that was full of key events and Supreme Court decisions， and it explores how each word that Obama spoke to the nation was thought through， and presented。 The events that impacted this time included a white supremacist shooting in Charleston， the Supreme Court decisions about the ACA and marriage equality， and the act of Confederate flags being removed from government buildings in the south。 Each of these events was emotionally charged and the words that Obama used to address the nation carried a lot of weight and needed to be very carefully thought out。 I really enjoyed reading in more detail about how these speeches came together - the teamwork， the fact-checking， the underlying tones， and the collaboration with Obama himself。 The power of the words we say was not missed by this group of people and it was fantastic to read more about this。 。。。more
Sarah Bickings
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Through many dangers， toils and snaresWe have already comeT'was Grace that brought us safe thus farAnd Grace will lead us homeThis book encompasses these lyrics beautifully。 I feel like our country needs this reminder of how far we did come and how it all unraveled。。。but how we must keep working for change。 I loved this book。 I have to admit that I am a big West Wing junkie and this book gave all the inside workings of speech writing in the White House， but was very smart to focus on one big spe Through many dangers， toils and snaresWe have already comeT'was Grace that brought us safe thus farAnd Grace will lead us homeThis book encompasses these lyrics beautifully。 I feel like our country needs this reminder of how far we did come and how it all unraveled。。。but how we must keep working for change。 I loved this book。 I have to admit that I am a big West Wing junkie and this book gave all the inside workings of speech writing in the White House， but was very smart to focus on one big speech and create the threads of the book around that speech and that defining week in the administration， and reliving other big moments in the 8 year Obama Administration in the context of the speech。 It usually takes me a while to work through nonfiction， but I completed this book in record time for me。。。it was gripping and so very poignant。 Thank you， Mr。 Keenan and thank you， President Obama for your service to this country and your heart for its people！ 5 enthusiastic stars。Thank you for the ARC for my honest review！ 。。。more
Paul
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An interesting insider's view of the WH and events。 Cody of course writes well and this is fun。 Recommended。Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！ An interesting insider's view of the WH and events。 Cody of course writes well and this is fun。 Recommended。Thanks very much for the free ARC for review！ 。。。more
Susan
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I started reading this book the day Roe vs。 Wade was overturned。 It made reading this book even more emotional and devastating。 This book focuses on ten days of President Obama’s last term of office through the lens of his chief speechwriter。 The three big events that were happening in this ten days were the upholding of the ACA， gay marriage becoming the law of the land and the shooting in Charleston。 There is so much hope in this book yet we still have so far to go。I was provided an advanced c I started reading this book the day Roe vs。 Wade was overturned。 It made reading this book even more emotional and devastating。 This book focuses on ten days of President Obama’s last term of office through the lens of his chief speechwriter。 The three big events that were happening in this ten days were the upholding of the ACA， gay marriage becoming the law of the land and the shooting in Charleston。 There is so much hope in this book yet we still have so far to go。I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the publisher which has not affected my review 。。。more
Preston Gray
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* I've received an early copy of this book in exchange for a fair review via NetGalley。 Cody Keenan takes the reader along a grueling week-in-the-life of a President's head speechwriter， notably during one the most prolific weeks of the Obama administration。 The week of June 17th， 2015 commences with a massacre in a historic Black church in Charleston， leaving 9 dead， sending shockwaves across the nation。 Cody struggles to find the words necessary to once again comfort and instill confidence in * I've received an early copy of this book in exchange for a fair review via NetGalley。 Cody Keenan takes the reader along a grueling week-in-the-life of a President's head speechwriter， notably during one the most prolific weeks of the Obama administration。 The week of June 17th， 2015 commences with a massacre in a historic Black church in Charleston， leaving 9 dead， sending shockwaves across the nation。 Cody struggles to find the words necessary to once again comfort and instill confidence in the American people in the line of the never-ending battle over gun violence， race issues， and overall political divide。 All the while， trying to balance how President Obama will respond to the seminal SCOTUS decisions regarding the constitutionality of the ACA and same-sex marriage legalization。 Cody's narrative reads like a novel while he eloquently depicts the ebbs and flows of speechwriting as a white man for America's first Black president。 His intimate anecdotes and conversations brings to light life inside of the White House， working alongside loyal staffers within his 'Speechcave' and paints President Obama as the down-to-earth leader of the free world and literal visionary that always seems to elevate his speeches to reach the mountains， while Cody's laying the foundation at base camp。 Although President Obama is a 'self-proclaimed president who doesn't need a speechwriter'， it's clear that Cody's influence shines through on some of Obama's most influential speeches and this captivating story helps the reader catch a glimpse into the tireless work that brings it all to life。I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the everyday hustle & bustle， behind-the-scenes action at the White House or to someone just interested in politics & history in general。 Come October， I'd be shocked if this isn't at the top of the NYTimes Bestseller's List。 。。。more
Mallika
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