Graduation Day: The Best Of America's Commencement Speeches (Hardcover)

by Andrew & Trissler Albanese (Author), George Plimpton (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
In this collection of recent commencement speeches, all 35 orators query the purpose of a speech that most of them doubt their listeners will heed. Entertainers such as Jodie Foster or Sting apparently think accounts of their own careers are inspiring. Humorists Russell Baker and Garrison Keillor modestly advise graduates to get married and procreate. Dan Rather's refrain to the audience at Austin is the opaque slogan "The time to be a Texan . . . is now." (Do Texans have a choice?) Surprise is often a speech's most notable quality. Mario Cuomo famously addressed the parents of the graduates, not the graduates, about teaching their kids ethics. Colgate alumni anticipating a serve-humanity oration from Andy Rooney probably should have known that this professional complainer would give them an anticomputer tirade, but new alumni of Pomona got what they expected from actor Patrick Stewart: dilations on Shakespeare and Star Trek. An eclectic collection for the commencement season. Gilbert Taylor

From Kirkus Reviews
An odd idea, well done but with, it would seem, a relatively small audience. The editors have gathered together the transcripts of a number of commencement speeches given at American colleges and universities in the 1980s and '90s by a variety of notables and celebrities (including Dan Rather, Carl Sagan, Mario Cuomo, and Ronald Reagan, among others). A number of the speeches are surprisingly good: funny, frank, even occasionally stirring. Others, sounding both glib and bland, would seem to indicate the homogenizing presence of ghostwriters. The best pieces include Russell Bakers hilarious address offering advice to graduates (Dont go around in clothes that talk. Theres already too much talk in the world); Toni Morrisons powerful meditation on violence and hatred; and Hank Aarons heartfelt discussion of courage. A final section gathers together commencement speeches given over the past century (including addresses by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Winston Churchill, and Martin Luther King Jr.), remind one of how unique and lasting a truly great commencement address can be. Few of the contemporary pieces, affecting as some of them are, reach those heights. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (April 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688160336
• ISBN-13: 978-0688160333
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #593,180 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great idea!, October 2, 1998

By A Customer

I laughed, I cried! There is so much in this book! Good advice, humor, perfect not just for grads but for kids just heading off to college who wonder just what they can expect. pretty motivating and inspirational. Great collection!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not too bad, but not the best, April 8, 2007

By	John H. Hwung (Fair Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A commencement speech is suppose to take care of the needs of the graduates, not the near or long term expediency of the speakers. There are too many speeches in this book that are plainly the PR for the speakers. I have no objections to speakers speaking the things that are dear and near to their hearts. What I think the speakers should have done is to put their own wants aside and consider what the best is for the graduating seniors and use that as a starting point for composing their speeches.

With this said, there are a few good ones in this book: The speeches by Ted Turner, Madeleine Albright, Ronald Regan, and especially Ross Perot.

The best book so far on graduation speeches is "Graduation Moments."

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and inspiring, September 9, 1998

By A Customer

A funny and uplifting collection by interesting people. There were plenty of times I laughed out loud and felt inspired. I only wish I'd had one of these folks speak at my graduation!