Critically acclaimed historian Paul Johnson explores the complex and fascinating character of Winston Churchill - the soldier, orator, and statesman who shined brightest during Britain's darkest hours. From his foray into the far-flung corners of the empire as cavalry officer and correspondent to his warnings of impending crisis as historian and Parliamentarian, Churchill faced the winds and tides of change with remarkable versatility and tenacity. One of his strategies strengthened moderate Muslims and successfully marginalized extremist Wahhabis of the House of Saud until Standard Oil's life-giving infusion revived jihadism. His Operation Archangel could have toppled the Russian Bolsheviks, preempted Mussolini and Hitler, and saved the lives of millions. And but for Churchill's vision and determination, there would have been no beefed-up British air power or the modern state of Israel. Illuminated with telling anecdotes and quotations, this compelling account of Churchill's tragedies and triumph the courage, resilience, and humor of this giant of the 20th century statesmanship.
Ok, first of all, those listed things were each about a paragraph in length. It also makes the book sound dry but it wasn't. I really enjoyed it. His life was amazing. He had a terrible childhood with rich parents who really had nothing to do with him as was the style of the day. His father never praised him. He loved (not romantically) the woman who raised him and his parents fired her when he went off to school. He found her and sent money when he could to help her. He was an amazing war correspondent. He was elected to government and would change parties when he needed to so he could get elected. He did well, he failed horribly, he was hit by a car in America and wanted to give up. He was faithful to his wife and she to him even though both of their mothers had numerous affairs. He had a family and loved them very much. He stayed in bed until noon making phone calls and dictating letters. He drank gin and "ate cigars and smoked matches" meaning he really didn't smoke all that much but liked the production that went into lighting a cigar. He stated he never owned a pair of pajamas in his life. He came back to power at the beginning of WWII although he had been on the outs for 10 years. Then when the war was over, Britons elected someone else. He wrote over two million words and painted over 500 oil paintings, and won a Nobel Prize for literature.
The part I enjoyed most was seeing the ups and downs of his life (lived over eighty years) and how he kept going even when life was bleak. He really "never gave up" to paraphrase. He was also very forgiving which was amazing to me in a politician. I also liked his philosophy of conserving energy. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down. Worked for him so I'm adopting it as my own.
The book seemed to be fairly even handed although there are people who hated him and his politics. He was amazing so it is hard to not have it be a positive biography of the man. Well work reading if you have any interest in his life or history.
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