Speeches that Changed the World

Compiler:    Alan J. Whiticker

Published:   2010

Publisher:    Jaico Books

Paperback: 288 pages

Readers in India:

 This book is a compilation of over 40 speeches delivered over the last 100 years by leaders who swayed the public opinion , through their power of persuasion. 

The leaders featured include Lenin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Indira Gandhi, Mikail Gorbachev, Nelson Mandela .  I am surprised by the inclusion of  George W. Bush and  Arundhati Roy  in this list !

The themes covered in this collection are - politics and diplomacy, war and peace, freedom and justice, civil rights and human rights. The background and aftermath of each speech is briefly explained along with a short biographical note about the speaker.

A well compiled book  at a reasonable price , which will be of great interest to anyone interested in Public Speaking. 

What makes this book a real bargain is the accompanying free audio CD - Great Speeches of the World.

About the Speeches in this Book:

 Some of the well known speeches in this book: 

• The Only Thing We Have To Fear is Fear Itself  - F.D. Roosevelt
• The Jewish Question - Adolf Hitler
• Our Finest Hour - Winston Churchill
• Quit India - Mahatma Gandhi (Very inspiring, but did not find the phrase "Quit India" in the text. Not sure whether it is an extract of the speech or whether Gandhi never explicitly uttered "Quit India" )
• D-Day Address - George S. Patton (I liked the earthy , colorful and rustic but in a no nonsense manner it has been delivered)
• I Have a Dream - Martin Luther King (Very emotional and inspiring !)
•  I have AIDS - Ryan White (Very touching !)
• Dissolving the Soviet Union - Mikhail Gorbachev
• Release from Prison - Nelson Mandela
• Eulogy for Diana, Princess of Wales - Earl Spencer (Probably you may have seen this moving speech by Diana's brother which was telecast life on the occasion of her funeral)

About the Audio CD- Great Speeches of the World

This is a compilation of 13 speeches. 

You can hear original broadcasts of the inaugural addresses of  3 U.S. Presidents (F.D. Roosevelt, Kennedy & Barack Obama) and also the great inspiring speeches of Churchill (Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat) , Martin Luther King (I Have a Dream), Ronald Reagan (The Berlin Wall) in their own voice.

Other notable great speeches in this CD  read out by professional actors are:

• Apology - Socrates (read by Christopher Cazenove)
• Give me Liberty, or Give me Death - Patrick Henry (read by David Birney)
• Gettysburg Address - Abraham Lincoln (read by Burt Reynolds)