All We Say

Rhodes wants to show … that what is at stake is the identity of America itself. All We Say is a learned and excellently sane book, and any reader will learn a great deal from it about the contested ideas at the heart of American democracy – Sam Leith * Daily Telegraph (5 stars) *A wonderful book – fascinating, thought-provoking and full of insights. Essential reading – Justin Webb, journalist and broadcasterBen Rhodes is a true wordsmith, both consummate and passionate. All We Say is a marvellous, highly readable reminder of how words – both written and spoken – can make history and determine a nation’s identity – Sir Peter Westmacott, author of They Call It DiplomacyAll We Say is a brilliant conceit — explore the longstanding debate over American identity through a close examination of fifteen exceptional speeches and the people who delivered them — and Ben Rhodes carries it off beautifully in this generous, trenchant, urgently needed book – Fredrik Logevall, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Embers of WarAn absorbing primer of the argument we can’t escape, the history of a question our nation is still trying to answer, All We Say is — like its author — brilliant, generous, and wise. At a time of moral and political drift, Ben Rhodes reminds us what American greatness actually sounds like, and what it means – Ayad Akhtar, author of Homeland ElegiesThroughout American history, we have used words to try to discern what it means to live righteously in this land. How fortunate we are then to have this assembly of speeches and this uncommonly wise understanding of our past. All We Say is a book that asks us to remember that oration is always a form of moral suasion, and here Rhodes – an authority on speechwriting and having courage – demands that we not become petrified by the immensity of what is at stake in this country – Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, Pulitzer Prize-winning essayistA rousing insight into America’s conversation about itself * The oldie *From Frederick Douglass to Obama, Ben Rhodes shares the speeches that explain America * Guardian *

PRAISE FOR THE WORLD AS IT IS One of the most compelling stories I’ve seen about what it’s actually like to serve the American people

Ben Rhodes is the author of the New York Times bestsellers After the Fall and The World as It Is. He is also the co-host of Pod Save the World, a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times, and a contributor for MS NOW. Rhodes previously served as a deputy national security advisor and speechwriter to President Barack Obama.

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