Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln

Listening to this book is a little like sitting on an airplane next to a retired president of Toastmasters. Humes, a stalwart of Republican Party speechwriting since the 1960s, knows a lot about making good speeches. Narrator Norman Dietz does an excellent job of conveying Humes's passion and wisdom. You almost feel the author grabbing your lapel. The lessons are divided into convenient chunks--for example, "The Power Pause." Together, Humes's discussion and Dietz's narration evoke a time when the country club was the center of political life (for Republicans) and gentlemen did not tell off-color jokes when ladies were present. To his credit, Humes treats the writing and delivering of speeches as a craft. His examples of "tearjerkers" are priceless. F.C. (c) AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine