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When They Go Low, We Go High: Speeches That Shape the World and Why We Need Them Hardcover – July 17, 2018

by Philip Collins (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 89 ratings
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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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Previous page
  1. Print length
    432 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Harry N. Abrams
  4. Publication date
    July 17, 2018
  5. Dimensions
    6.35 x 1.55 x 9.35 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1468316168
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1468316162
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“The author hits on three unassailable truths: rhetoric and democracy must go hand-in-hand; democracy, for all of its flaws, is superior to tyranny; and democracy is currently under assault.”
- Paste

“

No writer today understands the art of the speech so well as Philip Collins . . . brilliant.

”
- Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets

“

Anyone interested in the past, present and future of speeches and speechwriting will find it a fascinating read. For those of us who like nothing better than to marvel at effective use of an anaphoric tricolon, it's an absolute must.

”
- Spectator

“When They Go Low, We Go High deserves to find a home in the library of anyone interested in oratory or political theory . . . Collins brings to his analysses a deep understanding of the pragmatics of speech-making.”
- The Guardian

“Collins . . . understands intimitely the mechanics of rhetoric. He believes that we, as human beings, possess the capacity to extract ourselves from the swamp in which we have sunk. Great speeches, the author suggests, are the solution to Trump.”
- The Times

About the Author

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 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. The author of The Art of Speeches and Presentations, Collins pioneered the analysis of major speeches in The Times.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams; 1st edition (July 17, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1468316168
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1468316162
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.35 x 1.55 x 9.35 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 89 ratings

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Philip Collins

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
89 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tom Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the time
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2019
Verified Purchase
A historical read that provides a window to understanding today’s politics.
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Matthew Rapaport
4.0 out of 5 stars Great examples and analysis of brilliant speeches, but not really the book's point
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
The title of this book comes from a speech by Michelle Obama in 2016, an effort to support Hillary Clinton in that year’s national election. The book makes an early point about political speeches and political speech in general. Only democracies require speechifying, and only in liberal democracies is political speech in support of or opposition to any particular administration permitted. Democracies demand speechifying because, having reposed suffrage in the general population, populations must be persuaded to vote one way or another.

Speeches are here analyzed in illustration of this main point, and Dr. Collins is not unaware that speechifying can be used to convince an electorate to vote against democracy, something he illustrates with speeches by Robespierre, Hitler, Fidel Castro, and others. Great speeches and Collins’ analysis of them fill the book, but they are not really the point of the book which is establishing the social value of liberal democracies, the only form of government in which every segment of the population is free to pursue lives that fulfill them. But this last part is an ideal. Only liberal democracies can hope to approach it, but they do so slowly, in fits and starts.

Democracy moves slowly. It requires patience. People today are mostly impatient and therefore persuaded to replace democracy with a promise of rapid transformation into some utopian vision of an ideologue or else tricked into handing power to a populist who, while he may or may not espouse some ideology, asks that power be given to him because “only I can fix it.” The thing is, no one really knows how to fix all of society’s problems in a few short years, and such governments always end up making things worse for many. Worse, where ideologues are concerned, an “ends justify the means” mentality, can render life for many truly horrific.

More than anything this is a book about the fragility of democracy and how easy it is to lose it; much easier, in fact, than making it work. It’s a good book, well written, and my politics and political philosophy align with the author’s. But the connection between his main points and the speeches, good rhetoric though they may be, is a little tenuous.
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Francoise
2.0 out of 5 stars Audible deal killer
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2020
No whisper synched Audible companion is a deal killer. A nearly $40!!! Audible stand alone is a bigger deal killer. May your sales be zilch.
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Top reviews from other countries

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james dingle
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick service
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
Quick service,good value.
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GSW
1.0 out of 5 stars Awful.
Reviewed in Canada on December 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
Save yourself from wasting your money. I struggled through the first chapter as it was excruciatingly boring. The reviews for the book were more entertaining than the actual book.
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Evqua
5.0 out of 5 stars Una lectura obligatoria para los amantes de comunicación política
Reviewed in Spain on January 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Una lectura muy interesante para todos los amantes de ciencias políticas. El autor, antiguo colaborador de Tony Blair, hizo un trabajo estupendo de complicación y análisis de unos mejores discursos en la historia.
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Alan Fay
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very good insight into some great historical speechs
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Casey Roo
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational, informative, uplifting - the words of liberal democracy celebrated, analysed, and much loved.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is nourishing, inspirational, and comforting ... and if I could find the superlative case of 'educational' I'd add that also. The title comes, of course, from the person described as the best orator in the Obama family, namely Michelle. She said it in a speech about what's important in politics and what isn't - meaning much of poison we get from Trump and his like. It's a phrase that deserves immortality.

As you'd expect from a professional speech-writer, it's sheer pleasure to read; the author crafts a number of well-turned insights, such as the great hope of politics being in the democratically elected president of a free society (I paraphrase) and my favourite, said of tyrants, that 'when they're in a hole they get other people to keep digging.' The insights are multi-layered, which contributes to its lasting interest: he takes us into the boiler room of the speech-writer, what works and what doesn't, so if you're the sort of person who likes reading other people's technical journals you'll love this. He's also an historian of considerable breadth and depth, and arranges his chapters according to the various themes and goals that great political speeches achieve.

I haven't actually finished it yet, but simply had to write a review now in the hope that it'll drive other people here. It's essential bedtime reading, and likely to stay that way for a very long time.
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