Recent Churchill Reads

Clementine Churchill, 1908.
Since last spring, when I was first becoming interested in Winston Churchill and the history surrounding him and his family, I have almost always been reading a book on him, and I generally have a stack of Churchill books in my room about two feet tall (err... no, I'm not obsessed at all...). Here are the Churchill books that I have been reading recently.


The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson.

This book is not a formal biography but rather a lighthearted celebration of Churchill's life. In The Churchill Factor, PM Boris Johnson picks all his favorite aspects of Churchill's life (his oratory, Clemmie Churchill, Churchill's hobbies, his books, etc.,) and devotes a chapter to each one. It's one of those books that, although they are non-fiction, are hard to put down. Johnson also incorporates plenty of amusing Churchill stories and witty quips that are sure to keep readers chuckling throughout the book.

Winston and Clementine by Mary Soames.

Compiled by their eldest daughter, this complete collection of Winston and Clemmie's letters is incredibly interesting. In this volume are letters featuring humorous doddles, top-secret political news (the Churchills often signed letters containing confidential information with the postscript "burn after reading," but luckily they never did), and society gossip. The contextual notes before each letter make the book serve as both a dual memoir and biography.

Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts. 

This book has been hailed by numerous reviewers, historians, and Churchill enthusiasts alike as the best single-volume biography written on Sir Winston. Robert's is probably the world's leading "Churchillian," and his writing style is terrific. This tome also makes a great reference book; you'll see it popping up in the sources that I use for this blog frequently.

Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell.

Clemmie Churchill payed a huge role in Churchill's life and this first biography of her is very fascinating. Readers will be surprised that the Mrs. Winston Churchill who often fades into the background of other Churchill biographies was not a quiet or docile, but rather opinionated, witty, and talkative.

Young Titan: The Making of Winston Churchill by Michael Shelden.

This is a fascinating history of Winston Churchill's early political career. It begins in 1901, when Churchill was first elected as an MP for the House of Commons, and ends at the disastrous Dardanelles Campaign of 1915. Shelden is a brilliant writer and this book gives us a revealing glimpse of the young, controversial, and slightly reckless Churchill.


More book recommendations coming later! Happy reading, and remember to, as Churchill himself said, "Study history, study history, study history."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Family of Winston Churchill

Image
Today, Winston Churchill is the only person that most people think of when the hear the last name "Churchill." However, even before Winsto n Churchill became a well-known historical figure, his last name was already famous. George Spencer-Churchill ( 7 December 1793 – 1 July 1857) was the 6th Duke of Marlborough, and a eminent politician at the time. He served as a Tory member of Parliament during Victoria's rule, and later served again the House of Lords.  Winston Churchill's father, Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill, was also a prominent political figure at the time. He served in Parliment, as a radical Tory  — he coined the term "Tory democracy." Churchill Family Tree Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill, and Memories and Adventures by Winston S. Churchill
Read more

Book Review: Never Give In! by Winston S. Churchill

Image
Never Give In! By Winston S. Churchill (Sir Winston Churchill's grandson) is a wonderful collection of Churchill's most interesting or notable speeches. This is a perfect resource because it does not include all of Winston Churchill's speeches, which fill many thick volumes, but does use the most famous as well as some of the lesser-known ones. They are arranged chronologically, the book includes some fascinating pictures of Churchill giving the speeches, and it contains a helpful index and table of contents. The author gives a helpful paragraph of context before each speech to help the reader understand what the speech is about. BBC also published this book as a delightful audiobook which uses the original recordings of Churchill giving the speech.  B uy it on amazon.com here
Read more

The Other Club

Image
Churchill in 1912; shortly after  founding the Other Club Winston Churchill had been in parliament for nine years by 1911, and during this time he had become notoriously controversial. Churchill had already changed political parties once (he was to do so again in 1922), he staunchly supported free trade, a largely unpopular ideal, and he also fought for Irish Home Rule campaign - a movement that many members of Parliament strongly opposed. To support him was often seen as supporting contentious political ideals. It is because of this that Churchill and his friend, F. E. Smith (Smith, who held many political beliefs similar to Churchill, later became the 1st Earl of Birkenhead) were blackballed when they asked to enter one of the most prestigious and renowned political clubs in England: a fortnightly dining club known simply as "The Club." Founded in 1764 by the artist Joshua Reynolds and the essayist Samuel Johnson, the Club was to be "composed of the heads of
Read more