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There's no shortage of books about public speaking or language or song. But until now, there has been no book about the miracle that underlies them all - the human voice itself. And there are few writers who could take on this surprisingly vast topic with more artistry and expertise than John Colapinto. Beginning with the novel - and compelling - argument that our ability to speak is what made us the planet's dominant species, he guides us from the voice's beginnings in lungfish millions of years ago to its culmination in the talent of Pavoratti, Martin Luther King Jr., and Beyonc - and each of us, every day. Along the way, he shows us why the voice is the most efficient, effective means of communication ever devised: it works in all directions, in all weathers, even in the dark, and it can be calibrated to reach one other person or thousands.