MashReads Podcast: Getting nostalgic over hope and change with former Obama speechwriter David Litt

When writer David Litt was 21, he fell in love. This wasn't romantic love (at least not as part of this story), but he was seriously smitten with a presidential candidate.

Like many people, young and old alike, Litt fell hard and fast for then-candidate Barack Obama. Unlike most people, Litt later worked in the Obama White House, eventually as a speechwriter for the president. And now he's written a book all about it.

Thanks, Obama: My Hopey, Changey White House Years (A Speechwriter's Memoir) may have a title nearly as long as the former president's two terms, but the memoir reads more like a series of stories told by an old college friend over a few beers. Litt, who has a talent for both succinct writing and comedy (he writes for Funny or Die these days), is just as earnest in his retellings as he is realistic. Yes, this is a love story, but it's also a story of a young man growing up and learning hard truths.

In a special episode of the MashReads Podcast, Litt talks about spending his 20s in the Obama White House, the real work of a speechwriter, and what it means to look back on those days in our current political climate.

As always, we ended the show with recommendations, and Litt did not disappoint:

• A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean, which Litt reads about twice a year.

• The Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny, of which Litt says “it deals so much with the inner life of people as opposed to just the whodunit.”

• And finally, for budding writers Litt recommends Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. “That book was kind of the Bible at the speechwriting firm where I worked. It’s about what makes an argument, a story, or a point memorable.”

Don't forget to follow MashReads on Facebook and Twitter for the latest, greatest book news. And if you're looking for a book to read, check out Gabriel Tallents My Absolute Darling, MashReads' book club pick for the month.