{"product_id":"the-speechwriter-a-brief-education-in-politics-9781476769943","title":"The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Speechwriter\u003c\/i\u003e brings you inside the spin room of the modern politician in \"a wry and eloquent memoir\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e) that is \"the best book about politics I've read in years\" (\u003ci\u003eGQ\u003c\/i\u003e) and \"will become a classic\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eEveryone knows this kind of politician: a charismatic maverick who goes up against the system and its ways, but thinks he doesn't have to live by the rules. Through his own experience as a speechwriter for a controversial governor, Barton Swaim tells the story of a band of believers who attach themselves to this sort of ambitious narcissist--and what happens when it all comes crashing down. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e put it, \"\u003ci\u003eThe Speechwriter\u003c\/i\u003e feels like \u003ci\u003eVeep\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eAll the King's Men\u003c\/i\u003e--an entertaining and engrossing book not just about the absurdities of working in the press shop of a Southern governor but also about the meaning of words in public life.\" Swaim paints a portrait of a boss so principled he'd rather sweat than use state money to pay for air conditioning, so oblivious he'd wear the same stained shirt for two weeks, so egotistical he'd belittle his staffers to make himself feel better, and so self-absorbed he never once apologized to his staff for making his administration the laughingstock of the country. On the surface, this is the story of one politician's rise and fall. But in the end, it's a story about us--the very real people who want to believe in our leaders and must learn to survive with broken hearts. \u003ci\u003eThe Speechwriter\u003c\/i\u003e is \"a wryly funny, beautifully written...dissection of what it is like to perform a thankless job for an unreasonable person in a dysfunctional office...A marvelously entertaining book. It's clear [Swaim] spent a long time on it, because he's made it look so effortless\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/05\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781476769943\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.60d","brand":"Barton Swaim","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42925028049077,"sku":"9781476769943","price":14.44,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_32e71f61-117e-479d-ba87-6d4744393443.jpg?v=1687843958","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-speechwriter-a-brief-education-in-politics-9781476769943","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}