Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America

by Cody Keenan

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “At a time when the meaning of America is up for grabs, Cody Keenan’s new book chronicles ten days that tested us and ultimately showed us at our best. It’s a captivating story about what’s worth fighting for, an antidote to cynicism that will make you believe again.”—President Barack Obama, via Twitter From Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter Cody Keenan, a spellbinding account of the ten most dramatic days of the presidency, when a hate-fueled massacre and looming 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. A white supremacist shooting and an astonishing act of forgiveness. A national reckoning with race and the Confederate flag. The fate of marriage equality and the Affordable Care Act. Grace is the propulsive story of ten days in June 2015, when Obama and his chief speechwriter Cody Keenan composed a series of high-stakes speeches to meet a succession of stunning developments. Through behind-the-scenes moments—from Obama’s suggestion that Keenan pour a drink, listen to some Miles Davis, and “find the silences,” to the president’s late-night writing sessions in the First Family’s residence—Keenan takes us inside the craft of speechwriting at the highest level for the most demanding of bosses, the relentlessly poetic and perfectionist Barack Obama. Grace also delivers a fascinating portrait of White House insiders like Ben Rhodes, Valerie Jarrett, Jen Psaki, and the speechwriting team responsible for pulling it all off during a furious, historic stretch of the Obama presidency—including a gifted fact-checker who took Keenan’s rhetoric to task before taking his hand in marriage. Grace is the most intimate writing that exists on the rhetorical tightrope our first Black president had to walk, culminating with an unforgettable high Obama stunning everybody by taking a deep breath and leading the country in a chorus of “Amazing Grace.”

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

Cody Keenan rose from a campaign intern in Chicago and deputy pirate to become chief speechwriter at the White House and Barack Obama’s post-presidential collaborator. He’s been named the "Springsteen" of the Obama White House, even though he can’t play an instrument, and Obama calls him "Hemingway" for reasons that have little to do with his talent or seasonal beard (ask him sometime). Even British GQ once named Cody one of the "35 Coolest Men Under 38 (and a half)," ahead of Ryan Gosling, but behind Tom Hardy.

In truth, Cody is more comfortable behind the scenes, helping to shape the stories of our time. He got his start as a young aide to the legendary senator Edward M. Kennedy before earning a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. A sought-after expert on politics, messaging, and current affairs, he is now a partner at leading speechwriting firm Fenway Strategies and teaches a popular course on political speechwriting to undergraduates at his alma mater Northwestern University.

Born in Wrigleyville, Cody finally got to write his dream speech just four days before Obama left office—one welcoming the World Champion Chicago Cubs to the White House. To his wife Kristen’s enduring embarrassment, their White House courtship was documented on CNN. Today, they live in New York City with their daughter, Grace.

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shares a behind the scenes of the Obama administration, as well as sharing his own personal life. I enjoyed the access to the secret circle, as well as a trip back into history. Ends the books by sharing that he and his wife had a baby girl, it was very touching (for me right now).

[Margerywieder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the speeches that the author, Cody Keenan, wrote for President Obama, this book builds to a dramatic, and very hopeful, ending. The epilogue, which focuses partly on what and who came after Obama, brought me back to the sad reality today's politics. Otherwise, an inspiring read.