Winston Churchill possessed an iron will and a subtle conscience. His staunch patriotism, tenacity, appetite for a fight, and, above all, his towering rhetoric inspired the British people to mount a gallant defense of their island nation. Having set a new bar for national heroism, he earned a place in the pantheon of the world’s greatest leaders.
Churchill, a fearless soldier, was a veteran of … veteran of countless battles and a rider in one of Britain’s last cavalry charges. He was also a gifted writer, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, whose war reporting made his name and whose books outlived him. A bon vivant who loved his brandy and cigars, he was also a devoted husband whose marriage was a lifelong love affair. By any measure, Churchill was a giant.
But the man was far from perfect. He was a hero, yes, but a human one. He could be petty, irascible, and self-centered; it was bred in his bone that white Englishmen were born to lead the world and all others to be led. His mistakes cost billions of dollars and thousands of lives, but he had courage and a born politician’s sense of the public stage. He could outwait adversity and remain a player in the game. And when a bulldog was what England needed, he was there. In his first speech as prime minister, in words so bleak and, at the same time, as splendid as any ever uttered in wartime, he told his people, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.”
That stark message — and many later ones — carried the British people through the Nazi Blitz, years of deprivation, and incalculable tragedy. In the end, Churchill became a regal figure whose life came to symbolize defiance of tyranny in the face of impossible odds.
Here is his story.
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I’ve always admired Churchill, but I never knew the details of his life. He led a most interesting life and served in several wars in the British army before going into politics. It is a well written book that is so interesting and easy to …
Tedious reading. Not a lot of good storytelling. It is more a book about WW11 than about Chruchill.
When I saw the book was only 156 pages, I doubted that it would contain anything of note or worthy to be used in a scholarly paper. I found myself pleasantly in the wrong.
The book hits the major events in Churchill’s life (Harrow, the Admiralty, Gallipoli, Dunkirk, etc.) without being verbose. You get a very good idea of the type of man and …
Have always been interested in Winston Churchill. He was a man of strong moral strength. Book was well written, felt it portrayed Churchill as he actually was,warts and all. He was exactly what England and the allied powers needed to win the war…
I have read a few books on Churchill and they were all more complete than this book
I love Churchill and all he did for Britain during the war. I have read most of the books on him through the years and this was another wonderful look at the man, the myth, and the legend!
Wish list
Considering the subject, it will always be fascinating! Churchill was one of a kind
Much of what we already know about Churchill but a few interesting tidbits
It help if you have a good basic knowledge of WWII, but this was a good insight into an amazing man. It uses his own words as background to some of the stories and action. Overall a good read.
Churchill was a phenomenal writer and, in high school, we read him along with Abraham Lincoln and a Strunk and White. This book is very condensed because Churchill had an unusually large variety of experiences which he documented in newspapers and over the radio. I was disappointed with the minimal insight the book’s author provided into …
Very disappointing book.
Good read for the history of that time. Did not illuminate my understanding of Churchill, however.
It was a very entertaining life of Winston Churchill, Gave me an idea of the early life he lead and his many adventures which were life threatening. Since I only knew him in later life, it gave me a better understanding of why he was so popular and a great leader with foresight.