While "Voices of History" does contain many important speeches that have had a profound impact on the world, I found the book to be lacking in several ways. One major issue was the inclusion of too many speeches from the exact timeframe of the book's release, which will likely lose their historical relevancy in just a few years. This made the book feel very much of the moment, rather than truly timeless.
Additionally, while I understand the historical relevance, I had an issue with the inclusion of certain historical speeches, like Alexander of Macedon's speeches While there are certainly many speeches that have been well-documented and preserved throughout history, I believe that some of the speeches included in "Voices of History" were not true renditions of historical speeches, but instead were written or imagined by ancient historians decades or even centuries after the fact.Given that this book often showcases the raw oratorical talent of the speakers. It is wrong to include such speeches, which are not the product of such raw talent, but rather a meticulous composition by dedicated writers, who had the time to polish and rework untill they were satisfied.
Besides these 2 downsides, I find that quite a few of the speeches which are present ARE valid entries in the book. Some because they are well known (Lincoln's Gettysburg Adress, Churchill's Blood Sweat, toil and Tears), some because they carry such a powerfull message (the entire chapter on Freedom), and some because, knowing neither the speaker, not the speech, opened a new part of the world to me (Sojourner Truth, Am I not a woman than). The most powerfull was Arnon Grunbergs: NO,..., which despite being from the year of the release was of a sufficiently haunting imagery (remembering the end of the Second World War, and contemplating the holocaust.). The imagery of the speaker delivering this speech alone, in front of an empty square due to covid restrictions further cements this speech as great to me.
Definitely worth a read, but I would swap out about 40% of the speeches, for other great ones which must exist somewhere.
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