Churchill

A timely reminder.

A fine portrait of a life spent defending democracy. Well worth reading by anyone worried about it today. It even-handedly displays a very human being, covers the events and circumstances which formed and drove him, and closely analyses the background to and reasoning behind his major decisions. Those who already know what a monster Churchill was won't read this biography anyway, but I was astonished at the scale and persistence of the disinformation that hangs round him. For example, he's still reviled for using armed force against the rioting miners at Tonypandy. The Guardian praised him for "having saved many lives" by holding the troops back; The Times criticised him for showing weakness. And Gallipoli was "a mistake made TOWARDS the enemy". It seared his soul, and ensured the success of the D-Day landings. This isn't a light read - it swarms with now-obscure characters and events that would have been common knowledge at the time - but it's nevertheless very readable - if only for the abundant, outrageous examples of his glorious prose. An inspiring book about a great man.