{"product_id":"all-we-say-ben-rhodes-9780593595121","title":"All We Say: The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide?\u003c\/i\u003e This sweeping history of the United States told through fifteen speeches relives the battle over American identity, from a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author and one of President Obama's former speechwriters\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor 250 years, we have debated what it means to be American. This question shaped the compromises in our Constitution and the debates we've been having ever since - spawning abolitionism, secession and Civil War; populism, mass migration, and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them. In \u003ci\u003eAll We Say\u003c\/i\u003e, Ben Rhodes tells the story of fifteen speeches - some iconic, others long forgotten - which have both shaped and reflected the argument Americans have been having from our founding to the intense divisions of our time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThrough riveting and beautifully rendered accounts of the people, movements, and moments that produced these speeches, Rhodes traces the history of our battle over identity. The result is a singular and revealing portrait of America itself: a nation divided between two stories - one of inheritance, power and exclusion, the other of equality, striving and belonging. Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also shows us how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in American democracy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom Benjamin Franklin's call for compromise at the Constitutional convention, to Alexander Stephens' case for white supremacy as the cornerstone of the Confederacy; from Martin Luther King's dream of true equality to Donald Trump's rallying cry against democracy itself, these speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity and the truth itself is contested, \u003ci\u003eAll We Say\u003c\/i\u003e offers a fresh and powerful look at who we really are and who we could still become.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ben Rhodes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0593595122\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780593595121\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Random House\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/26\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 432\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs","brand":"Ben Rhodes","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":47756860424447,"sku":"9780593595121","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2526a3fa-99d9-40b2-add9-29c4128ae01a.jpg?v=1765509679","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/all-we-say-ben-rhodes-9780593595121","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}