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Winston Churchill, whose mother, Jennie Jerome, the daughter of a leading American entrepreneur, was born in Brooklyn in 1854, spent much of his seventy adult years in close contact with the United States. In two world wars, his was the main British voice urging the closest possible cooperation with the United States. From before the First World War, he understood the power of the United States, the "gigantic boiler," which, once lit, would drive the great engine forward.
Sir Martin Gilbert was appointed Churchill's official biographer in 1968 and has ever since been collecting archival and personal documentation that explores every twist and turn of Churchill's relationship with the United States, revealing the golden thread running through it of friendship and understanding despite many setbacks and disappointments. Drawing on this extensive store of Churchill's own words — in his private letters, his articles and speeches, and press conferences and interviews given to American journalists on his numerous journeys throughout the United States — Gilbert paints a rich portrait of the Anglo-American relationship that began at the turn of the last century.
In Churchill and America, Gilbert explores how Churchill's intense rapport with this country resulted in no less than the liberation of Europe and the preservation of European democracy and freedom. It also set the stage for the ongoing alliance that has survived into the twenty-first century.
"This is a fascinating story, straightforward and well told, of one of the 20th century's most important leaders and the critical connection he forged between the world's fading superpower and its rising one."—Publishers Weekly
"It is doubtful whether anyone on this planet knows more about the life and times of Winston Churchill than his official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert."—Library Journal
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 1, 2005 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781400121939
- File size: 452994 KB
- Duration: 15:43:44
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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This book, especially its audio version, is a love story. Nothing less! Churchill was always delighted with America, its vast ranginess and open-hearted people; its government, language, and institutions. Just as Martin Gilbert captures this passionate attachment, reader Simon Vance captures the sounds of this great story. Perhaps Churchill's own nasally voice is not difficult to render; it is parodied so often. But it is surely not easy to leap flawlessly from that to Roosevelt's flat "a's" or Eisenhower's surly Midwestern matter-of-factness. Creating distinctive voices is one thing, but simulating the familiar through the wildly varied voices of famous leaders in convincing fashion is a nearly impossible feat. Surely only a lover could do that. P.E.F. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine -
August 8, 2005
In many ways, Winston Churchill embodied the "special relationship" between America and Britain—his mother was American, and he admired the country even before he courted the United States' assistance during WWII. In this thoroughly researched, consistently enjoyable study, Gilbert—the statesman's official biographer—covers the subject with his usual diligence and rigor, from the American roots of Churchill's mother to his first visit to the U.S. in 1895 and on to the end of his life. Historically, the most important connections were between Churchill and the two WWII presidents, Roosevelt and Truman, and the book is filled with detail on the war years, especially his indefatigable efforts to get America involved in the war. He tells his son, "I shall drag the United States in." But it's just as interesting to discover how Churchill embraced America so early in his life, not of necessity but out of temperament. In a letter home during his very first visit, he notes American vulgarity, but adds, "I think... that vulgarity is a sign of strength." This is a fascinating story, straightforward and well told, of one of the 20th century's most important leaders and the critical connection he forged between the world's fading superpower and its rising one. Photos and maps not seen by PW
. Agent, Caradoc King, A.P. Watt (U.K.)
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