Fantastic for law, politics, history buffs alike! It is really very neat to take a look at our country’s history through the lens of undelivered speeches. To ponder what was going on at that time and why it was not delivered and how our country could have taken a different course.

Delivered speech? No thanks! Gimme the drama of undelivered speeches. It’s much more fun to learn about history that way!

I enjoyed the audiobook a lot, but probably would have snoozed if I read a print version.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the advance listener’s copy!

A fascinating and moving look at some of history's most defining speeches......that were never given. Some were never seen because crises were avoided at the last second, catastrophe hit and changes were made, candidates lost elections, speakers died before finalizing drafts, etc. But these speeches give insight into how close decisions were made to deadlines, how ready leaders were for plans to fail, and how contentious certain decisions were. I laughed, I cried, my jaw hit the floor. The minor history buff in me was proper satisfied. The historical information, sources, insight, and explanations are clear, concise, and informative. And listening to the audiobook gives a more intimate and illustrative tone to the works. The selections cover a range of topics from science, religion, politics, war, social justice, and media/art (speakers include JFK, John Lewis, Eisenhower, Clinton, Einstein, etc.). I think a lot of people could benefit from learning more about the collaborative work of speech writers, advisors, and leaders, from the decision-making process and how fleshing out ideas on paper can help crystalize decisions in the real world. It's a fascinating process and moving to hear.

If a part two with more speeches is ever released, I'll be first in line to grab it!