9780062851604
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When They Go Low, We Go High audiobook

  • By: Philip Collins
  • Narrator: Philip Collins
  • Category: History, World
  • Length: 16 hours 25 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: July 17, 2018
  • Language: English
  • (137 ratings)
(137 ratings)
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When They Go Low, We Go High Audiobook Summary

When First Lady Michelle Obama approached the podium at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, nobody could have predicted that her rousing and emotional “When they go low, we go high” speech would go on to become the motto for the political left and an anthem for opponents of oppression worldwide. It was a speech with the kind of emotional pull rarely heard these days, joining a long list of addresses that have made history. But what about Obama’s speech made it so great?

When They Go Low, We Go High explores the most notable speeches in history, analyzing the rhetorical tricks to uncover how the right speech at the right time can profoundly shape the world. Traveling across continents and centuries, political speechwriter Philip Collins reveals what Thomas Jefferson owes to Cicero and Pericles, who really gave the Gettysburg Address, and what Elizabeth I shares with Winston Churchill.

In telling the story of great and sometimes infamous speeches–including those from Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., Disraeli, Hitler, Elie Wiesel, Margaret Thatcher, and Barack and Michelle Obama–Collins breathes new life into words you thought you knew well, telling the story of democracy. Whether it’s the inaugural addresses of presidents or the revolutionary writings of Castro, Pankhurst, and Mandela, Collins illuminates and contextualizes these moments with sensitivity and humor.

When They Go Low, We Go High is a strong defense of the power of public speaking to propagate and protect democracy and an urgent reminder that when great men and women speak to us, their words can change the world.

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When They Go Low, We Go High Audiobook Narrator

Philip Collins is the narrator of When They Go Low, We Go High audiobook that was written by Philip Collins

Philip Collins is a columnist for The Times and an Associate Editor of Prospect magazine. He was Chief Speech Writer to Prime Minister Tony Blair in 10 Downing Street between 2004 and 2007 and has subsequently written keynote speeches for a range of senior politicians, leaders of charities and NGOs and Chief Executive Officers. Mr Collins is the author of The Art of Speeches and Presentations and pioneered the analysis of major speeches in The Times.

About the Author(s) of When They Go Low, We Go High

Philip Collins is the author of When They Go Low, We Go High

More From the Same

When They Go Low, We Go High Full Details

Narrator Philip Collins
Length 16 hours 25 minutes
Author Philip Collins
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date July 17, 2018
ISBN 9780062851604

Subjects

The publisher of the When They Go Low, We Go High is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is History, World

Additional info

The publisher of the When They Go Low, We Go High is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780062851604.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

India

January 15, 2018

A history and analysis of rhetoric and politics by Philip Collins, former chief speechwriter to Tony Blair. We start with Pericles' funeral oration and end with the 2016 Democratic National Convention. We cover democracy and civil rights and the concept of government- and everything in between. There are classics like MLK's I Have A Dream and the many iterations of Winthrop's shining city on the hill, but we also get speeches from Eli Wiesel speaking on FDR, and Mao (on the India/China growth discrepancy), and different turning points marked by various speeches that most people are probably less familiar with. SO GOOD! Could not recommend enough for people interested in language or history or politics.

Joseph

September 11, 2018

It would be erroneous to claim that every page of When They Go Low, We Go High is gripping. Certainly, this book is not without its dry parts - whole great sections of them. But where Collins shines - discussing Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama, MLK (all American figures, interestingly) and finally Elie Wiesel - this book really does shine.This is not a book about speeches so much as it is a speech in favour of speeches, and the expression of a desire that rhetoric be allowed to flourish in a post-truth era. It is an at-times blunt but near-always effective warning that if rhetoric fails, democracy may fail shortly afterwards. Collins is not virulently polemical, but he is aware that this is not a topic to be taken lightly. We must act upon his warnings - "it's in [our] hands. It's always in our hands."Or as the post-Obama orators might say, it's, like, really really good. Really great. Big league.

Oshun

March 11, 2021

** spoiler alert ** This might be a niche read for some people, but I have worked in press, publicity, and even speech writing over the years and like to think I have an appreciation of the art. There were some old favorites and historical speeches right up through the present day. Not all were of equal quality but I could have even read more of them. An excellent collection.A teaser: (the author on great and infamous speeches below)"It was a speech with the kind of emotional pull rarely heard these days, joining a long list of addresses that have made history. But what about Obama’s speech made it so great? When They Go Low, We Go High explores the most notable speeches in history, analyzing the rhetorical tricks to uncover how the right speech at the right time can profoundly shape the world. Traveling across continents and centuries, political speechwriter Philip Collins reveals what Thomas Jefferson owes to Cicero and Pericles, who really gave the Gettysburg Address, and what Elizabeth I shares with Winston Churchill."

Bryan

August 20, 2020

This is well worth reading, at this current time of political upheaval in the world. I vaguely remember buying this book because of the interest I have in great speeches, how they're written, why they're written, how they're delivered and then the impact that they had. But this is a book that goes way beyond that and is actually a manifesto, I think, for why we need to re-affirm our belief in Politics and especially democracy. i.e. Collins is essentially asserting that we need both Politics and Democracy in the world and that a) that's under threat because Populism is the symptom of people believing that Democracy isn't working and looking for something new and b) that the speech makers in this book have argued the case for Democracy superbly across the years and that we need to be learning from them how to make the common sense case that while Democracy will never be perfect, it's much better than the poorly proposed alternatives. If you have an interest in great speeches, you'll enjoy this. The same applies if you have an interest in politics and a worry about what you see burgeoning in the world today. If both apply to you, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

Darren

December 10, 2020

Gets you hooked over 400 pages of political milestones through oratory and speeches in. In between the pages Author did sneaked in his biased thoughts on liberal democracies and give a lot of jabs to the utopian fantasies of modern populism, pretty pointed a lot at the current political situation, where democracy is under attack. I recommend looking up the actual videos of speeches before reading each chapter.

Connor

November 30, 2018

Found this book on Libby. Been searching for a book like this for a while. Something that pulled good sized sections of famous speeches, analyzed the environment of the speech, and what drove the power of the speech. The book did get oddly political at times (current issues), but the boss didn’t remain throughout the entire book.

Mark

December 02, 2018

Very enjoyable. A wonderful apologetic for the merits of democracy and the difficulties of leading through it. Collins has selected a wonderful diversity of speeches and is not afraid of passing on both critique and admiration.

Gill

October 21, 2019

Political Rhetoric? What was I thinking! Whatever it was, this book has changed my perspective on speech writing and delivery. The examples selected, together with the commentary and analysis have given me fresh insight on a subject I knew very little about. Thank you Mr Collins.

Rhonda

June 18, 2021

Dry is sections, but well written besides. I thought it would be a book OF speeches, but it was more a book praising rhetoric in speeches, especially in today's political climate. He got a little preachy when talking political parties, but other than that, a good solid read.

Comaskeyk001

October 16, 2022

I’m sure you could tag this book as being principally about speeches, yet I think the book only uses speeches as a way to defend liberal democracy in a very keen and revelatory manner. And, the author does not pretend that liberal democracy will always prevail in every era.Well done Mr Collins!

Sean

January 06, 2020

A gemA gem of a book. Really inspiring speeches and a history lesson to boot. I will recommend it to my friends as the words resonates. Changed the way I thought. Loved it.

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