I remember my twenties, and I cringe when I recall certain moments. Whole months make me flush when they flash back. But those were just moments within a larger scheme of the rest of my life. Beck Dorey-Stein set out to relive some of those cringe-worthy moments from her own twenties with this memoir--though her larger scheme was the White House. She was a stenographer for the Obama administration for five years, effectively recording everything Obama said on the record, as well as recording in writing every messy indulgence of her personal life.

It's highly readable and entertaining, though I probably had a worried look on my face most of the time while reading as she mentions things like betraying a friend, cheating on her boyfriend, propping hotel doors open for a senior staffer after flying all day on Air Force One. It's chronologically told from the moment she answers a Craigslist ad to the 2017 inauguration, but it meanders not-always-so-seamlessly between The Job and her personal relationships. Perhaps that's demonstrative, because she intermixed the two a lot, and it's not pretty.

Dorey-Stein reveals a lot about herself, and quite a bit about working in the White House under Obama--she obscures just enough. (I want to find out who 'The Rattler' and 'Jason' from the book truly are, anybody want to wager?). It's a fast read, though uneven, and she's a good writer. However, by the end I'd had enough of "his eyes sparkled" and "with a twinkle in his eyes." I think it's admirable to write so openly, though I don't think I'd have the courage to do it myself in the same position.