Speechless
A year in my father's business
by James Button
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Pub Date Oct 01 2012 | Archive Date Jul 30 2013
Description
James Button spent a year writing speeches for Kevin Rudd. Before that,
he reported on politics as a highly regarded journalist for Fairfax. But
James also has politics in the blood: his father was the diminutive but
larger-than-life Senator John Button, who was a minister in the Hawke
and Keating governments.
Growing up, James watched a roll-call of political luminaries debating the fate of the Labor Party. He saw great victories and defeats at close hand. He believes both his father and his family paid a heavy price for politics.
Speechless is James’ highly personal account of a year working in Canberra, seen from both the inside and the outside. It’s told through his experience of Kevin Rudd’s failure to tell his story, and how this helped destroy his prime ministership. It also reflects on how far the Labor Party has moved from the idealism and pragmatism of his father’s generation. He ends on a note of hope for the Party’s revival.
Growing up, James watched a roll-call of political luminaries debating the fate of the Labor Party. He saw great victories and defeats at close hand. He believes both his father and his family paid a heavy price for politics.
Speechless is James’ highly personal account of a year working in Canberra, seen from both the inside and the outside. It’s told through his experience of Kevin Rudd’s failure to tell his story, and how this helped destroy his prime ministership. It also reflects on how far the Labor Party has moved from the idealism and pragmatism of his father’s generation. He ends on a note of hope for the Party’s revival.
Advance Praise
'Few more loving books have been written by a son of a father . . . few more searching books on our civil processes, our law-making, our public discourse . . . This is a quiet masterpiece, to be savoured.'
Bob Ellis, The Sydney Morning Herald
'A graceful book, full of humility and respect, about a man who goes in search of a prime minister and ends up finding a father. Beautifully written, in a way that firmly endears one to writer and subject both.'
Annabel Crabb
'An odyssey into the world of Kevin Rudd's prime ministership, and Canberra's invisible band of committed public servants, in search of the power of words.'
Laura Tingle
Bob Ellis, The Sydney Morning Herald
'A graceful book, full of humility and respect, about a man who goes in search of a prime minister and ends up finding a father. Beautifully written, in a way that firmly endears one to writer and subject both.'
Annabel Crabb
'An odyssey into the world of Kevin Rudd's prime ministership, and Canberra's invisible band of committed public servants, in search of the power of words.'
Laura Tingle
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9780522858587 |
| PRICE | A$32.99 (AUD) |
