The Speechwriter: A Brief Education In Politics
by Barton Swaim
Buy on AmazonFrom 2007 to 2010 Swaim worked for Mark Sanford, South Carolina's governor, as a communications officer and speechwriter. Everyone 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. 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.
Recommended by
"In this short memoir, Barton Swaim describes what it was like to work as a speechwriter for former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford. The governor’s marital infidelity (yes, that governor — think “Appalachian Trail”) and other moral shortcomings take a back seat here. And deservedly so, for Swaim’s approach is far more entertaining and, if you care about language, far more indicting. He describes an administration in which the mistreatment of language — and staff — was commonplace."
NPR Books We Love — 2015 · apps.npr.org