Speaking of America, Jared Cohen
Speaking of America, Jared Cohen
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Speaking of America
United States Presidents and the Words That Changed History

Author: Jared Cohen

Narrator: Kevin R. Free

Unabridged: 3 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/10/2024


Synopsis

A New York Times bestseller!

From New York Times bestselling author Jared Cohen comes an encouraging and engaging debut children’s book that brings United States history to life through forty-five compelling presidential quotes, demonstrating the power of words and inspiring hope for the future of America.

From 1776 to the present day, the Presidents of the United States have been America’s most important public speakers. Their words have inspired change throughout the highs and lows of history, from the Declaration of Independence to declarations in support of civil rights, and everything in between.

Why did George Washington call for “good faith and justice towards all nations” in his farewell address? What did it mean for Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim, in the middle of the Great Depression, that “the only thing to fear is fear itself?” And in one of the most famous presidential speeches ever given, the Gettysburg Address, why did Abraham Lincoln choose to begin with math (“four score and seven years ago”)?

In Speaking of America, the meaning and historical impact of quotes from the first forty-five American presidents are illuminated with wit and warmth. Full of fascinating facts that take listeners behind the scenes of American history, this captivating nonfiction book shows how US presidents have used their words to encourage, explain, assert, and defend—while equipping future leaders with the knowledge that they too have the power to change the world.

About Jared Cohen

Jared Cohen is the president of global affairs and cohead of applied innovation at Goldman Sachs, where he joined as a partner and member of the firm’s management committee in 2022. Before joining Goldman Sachs, he was CEO of Jigsaw, which he founded at Alphabet Inc. in 2016.  Prior to that, he was Google’s first director of ideas and chief advisor to Google’s chief executive officer and executive chairman Eric Schmidt. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a member of the Secretary of State’s policy planning staff and as a close advisor to both Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. He is a New York Times bestselling author of five books, most recently Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America. He has been named to the Time 100 list, Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and Fortune’s “40 Under 40.” He lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Stacy on November 05, 2024

Excellent - perfect for grades 5-9. The back matter with speeches that were never given was especially intriguing.......more

Goodreads review by Hoover Public Library on November 14, 2024

Cohen’s inviting and informative book of short quotes, excerpted from longer speeches from all U.S. presidents, showcases the power words have to shape and reflect history.......more

Goodreads review by Amy on February 06, 2025

From the outside, this looks like a thick picture book, but once you get inside ... With all of the text and illustrations, this book would be best used by grades 4-8 to find information about a specific president (through Biden). I do not see kids [or their parents] reading this cover-to-cover. Stil......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on October 28, 2024

Speaking of America is a fascinating look at the power of words from some of arguably the most powerful men in the world. Each two-page spread features a quote and then provides context — time period, how the words have purpose and how the words make a difference. There’s also a fun “Did you know? bo......more

Goodreads review by Erin on December 11, 2024

This thick nonfiction picture book walks you through history with words. From George Washington to Joe Biden this picks and chooses words spoken by almost all of the United States presidents and along the way it offers a history lesson. Broad reaching and generally neutral, each page gives the reade......more