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Lives and Legacies
Churchill: The Unexpected Hero
Churchill was the only British politician of the twentieth century to become an enduring national hero. His unique image, complete with V-sign, giant cigar, and outlandish costumes, was as universally famous as Charlie Chaplin's tramp. Now, in Churchill, The Unexpected Hero , Paul Addison
offers a major reassessment of this highly charismatic figure, focusing largely on the life-long battle over Churchill's reputation.
"Churchill's career," notes Addison, "was one of snakes and ladders." The longest of the "snakes" was Gallipoli, the ill-starred military campaign that all but destroyed his career in 1915. After Gallipoli, Churchill's reputation plummeted, and he was attacked as a shameless egotist, an
opportunist without principles or convictions, an unreliable colleague, an erratic policy-maker who lacked judgement, and a reckless amateur strategist with a dangerous passion for war and bloodshed. Indeed, throughout his career, at one time or another, Churchill offended every party and faction in
the land. Yet all but the most hostile also conceded that he possessed great abilities, remarkable eloquence, and a streak of genius, and with the coming of World War II, the man long excluded from high office--on the grounds that he was a danger to King and Country--became the savior of that
country, a truly great war leader. As Churchill's reputation skyrocketed, Addison shows how his heroic self-image was communicated to the world through a stupendous public relations campaign in which oratory, journalism, and history were all pressed into service.
Churchill won two great victories in World War II. The first was a victory over Nazi Germany. The second, a victory over the legion of skeptics who derided his judgement and denied his claims to greatness.
offers a major reassessment of this highly charismatic figure, focusing largely on the life-long battle over Churchill's reputation.
"Churchill's career," notes Addison, "was one of snakes and ladders." The longest of the "snakes" was Gallipoli, the ill-starred military campaign that all but destroyed his career in 1915. After Gallipoli, Churchill's reputation plummeted, and he was attacked as a shameless egotist, an
opportunist without principles or convictions, an unreliable colleague, an erratic policy-maker who lacked judgement, and a reckless amateur strategist with a dangerous passion for war and bloodshed. Indeed, throughout his career, at one time or another, Churchill offended every party and faction in
the land. Yet all but the most hostile also conceded that he possessed great abilities, remarkable eloquence, and a streak of genius, and with the coming of World War II, the man long excluded from high office--on the grounds that he was a danger to King and Country--became the savior of that
country, a truly great war leader. As Churchill's reputation skyrocketed, Addison shows how his heroic self-image was communicated to the world through a stupendous public relations campaign in which oratory, journalism, and history were all pressed into service.
Churchill won two great victories in World War II. The first was a victory over Nazi Germany. The second, a victory over the legion of skeptics who derided his judgement and denied his claims to greatness.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published December 20, 2004
54 people are currently reading
290 people want to read
About the author
Paul Addison
30 books6 followersPaul Addison was a British author and historian, specializing in the British experience in the Second World War and its effects on post-war society. After graduating from Nuffield College, Oxford, in 1967, Addison became a Lecturer at Edinburgh University and subsequently a Reader, for 23 years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 21, 2019
برای درک زندگی و اندیشه های فردی که مشهورترین فرد قرن بیستم شناخته میشه کتاب خوبی نبود .
بزرگترین ایراد کتاب این بود که همه تاریخ ها به هجری شمسی بود ! نمی دانم بر چه مبنایی زندگی یک فرد انگلیسی و کل رویدادهای مهم تاریخ شمسی داشتند مثلا در سال 1318 چنین اتفاقی افتاد !
و تبدیل تاریخ از شمسی به میلادی خود چالش جالبی بود . بعلاوه کتاب دارای چند تا اشتباه هم هست مثلا نوشته آلمان به فلاند حمله کرده در صورتی که شوروی بوده که حمله کرده و چند تا مورد دیگه
از همه مهمتر من میخواستم جزییات مشکل و درگیری و فرمان کودتا بر ضد دکتر مصدق که از جانب چرچیل صادر شد را بدانم ولی در کتاب تقریبا 2 خط از این ماجرا گفته شده بود و عملا چیزی به معلومات من اضافه نکرد
اگر خود آقای چرچیل به عنوان یک نویسنده قهار و کسی که برنده نوبل ادبیات شده ، این کتاب را می خواند احتمالا برای کمتر شدن غم و قصه اش از چنین اثر کم ارزشی به نوشیدنی مورد علاقه خود ( ودکا ) پناه می برد !
بزرگترین ایراد کتاب این بود که همه تاریخ ها به هجری شمسی بود ! نمی دانم بر چه مبنایی زندگی یک فرد انگلیسی و کل رویدادهای مهم تاریخ شمسی داشتند مثلا در سال 1318 چنین اتفاقی افتاد !
و تبدیل تاریخ از شمسی به میلادی خود چالش جالبی بود . بعلاوه کتاب دارای چند تا اشتباه هم هست مثلا نوشته آلمان به فلاند حمله کرده در صورتی که شوروی بوده که حمله کرده و چند تا مورد دیگه
از همه مهمتر من میخواستم جزییات مشکل و درگیری و فرمان کودتا بر ضد دکتر مصدق که از جانب چرچیل صادر شد را بدانم ولی در کتاب تقریبا 2 خط از این ماجرا گفته شده بود و عملا چیزی به معلومات من اضافه نکرد
اگر خود آقای چرچیل به عنوان یک نویسنده قهار و کسی که برنده نوبل ادبیات شده ، این کتاب را می خواند احتمالا برای کمتر شدن غم و قصه اش از چنین اثر کم ارزشی به نوشیدنی مورد علاقه خود ( ودکا ) پناه می برد !
August 11, 2020
The miracle of small academics doing their best to influence the mind of the public. Sure, Churchill is a hero, the same way The Boston Strangler and The Boston Marathon Bomber are heroes and for the same reasons, yet, somehow one should have shrines and if the others have shrines, the government should come up and destroy them.
March 6, 2018
Having run into Churchill so often in the novels I’ve read that are set during WWII, not to mention making his acquaintance recently thanks to Gary Oldman in The Darkest Hour and John Lithgow of The Crown, I figured it was about time to find out a little more about who he really was. I picked up this book pretty much at random at the library, figuring it was as good a place as any to start. And my brother-in-law (who’s my go-to source for historical information and also a goodreads friend) said he’d heard this book provides a good overview of Churchill’s career. But I have to admit it was tough going for me despite how relatively short it is (less than 300 pages).
The problem isn’t with the book itself – because it really does a good job capturing the high points and low points of Churchill’s political career and does it quite objectively. It was interesting to find out a little more about what those who knew him well thought of him. (He was loathed by many and greatly admired by others.) He was responsible for a number of military disasters that left his peers questioning whether he was fit for leadership; and his volatile personality and inflated opinion of himself, together with the fact that he changed political parties twice caused many to speculate that he was driven by personal ambition rather than the good of the nation.
That’s why the title of this book is especially apt. Given his past, many people were skeptical of him when he became Prime Minister. And yet, it was his strong militaristic stance and his unshakable and relentless conviction that Britain must not capitulate during the darkest hours of WWII that turned the tide of history and made him into the powerful and iconic figure we think of today.
Nevertheless I had to renew this book twice before taking it back to the library. Even though Addison’s scholarly approach wasn’t overly academic or pedantic, he probably wasn’t writing it with people like me in mind (people who got C’s instead of A’s in their history classes.) Had I had my brother-in-law as a history teacher it might have been different, so the next time I see him I’m going to ask him to recommend a follow- up book on Churchill – something that’s a little more accessible for English majors!!
The problem isn’t with the book itself – because it really does a good job capturing the high points and low points of Churchill’s political career and does it quite objectively. It was interesting to find out a little more about what those who knew him well thought of him. (He was loathed by many and greatly admired by others.) He was responsible for a number of military disasters that left his peers questioning whether he was fit for leadership; and his volatile personality and inflated opinion of himself, together with the fact that he changed political parties twice caused many to speculate that he was driven by personal ambition rather than the good of the nation.
That’s why the title of this book is especially apt. Given his past, many people were skeptical of him when he became Prime Minister. And yet, it was his strong militaristic stance and his unshakable and relentless conviction that Britain must not capitulate during the darkest hours of WWII that turned the tide of history and made him into the powerful and iconic figure we think of today.
Nevertheless I had to renew this book twice before taking it back to the library. Even though Addison’s scholarly approach wasn’t overly academic or pedantic, he probably wasn’t writing it with people like me in mind (people who got C’s instead of A’s in their history classes.) Had I had my brother-in-law as a history teacher it might have been different, so the next time I see him I’m going to ask him to recommend a follow- up book on Churchill – something that’s a little more accessible for English majors!!
December 30, 2011
Short lives of Winston Churchill abound, including volumes by well known popular historians such as John Keegan and Paul Johnson. Paul Addison's volume for Oxford Press's Lives and Legacies series, however, is well deserving of its status as the connoisseur's choice for an introduction to Churchill.
Addison succeeds because he does more than summarize Churchill's life. He frames the essential question regarding Churchill in the right way, and the story therefore becomes much more interesting as a result. The subtitle of the book "The Unexpected Hero" summarizes his thesis nicely. Churchill's career until the 1930s was a checkered one, and virtually no one would have expected him to become the towering figure of the 20th century at that point. How Churchill went from being nearly spent as a political force in the 1930s is therefore the story Addison seeks to tell in 254 pages.
The Unexpected Hero manages to touch every significant aspect of Churchill's life and career (as well as can be done in under 300 pages), but more importantly Addison is present throughout as a sure footed guide. His judgments on Churchill's actions are sound and serve the reader well, which is important because many of them are the subjects of entire books in and of themselves. Addison's scholarly and sober judgment leaves the reader feeling that he has been told the salient facts by an expert without an axe to grind.
Addison also nicely summarizes the state of play when it comes to contemporary disputes among historians on Churchill's legacy, and sums up barrels of ink nicely in his post script. Because of this, Addison's volume is not only a strong candidate for the best place to start with Churchill, but also a nice sounding board for those who have read so much Churchill they feel they have begun to lose their bearings as well.
Highly recommended.
Addison succeeds because he does more than summarize Churchill's life. He frames the essential question regarding Churchill in the right way, and the story therefore becomes much more interesting as a result. The subtitle of the book "The Unexpected Hero" summarizes his thesis nicely. Churchill's career until the 1930s was a checkered one, and virtually no one would have expected him to become the towering figure of the 20th century at that point. How Churchill went from being nearly spent as a political force in the 1930s is therefore the story Addison seeks to tell in 254 pages.
The Unexpected Hero manages to touch every significant aspect of Churchill's life and career (as well as can be done in under 300 pages), but more importantly Addison is present throughout as a sure footed guide. His judgments on Churchill's actions are sound and serve the reader well, which is important because many of them are the subjects of entire books in and of themselves. Addison's scholarly and sober judgment leaves the reader feeling that he has been told the salient facts by an expert without an axe to grind.
Addison also nicely summarizes the state of play when it comes to contemporary disputes among historians on Churchill's legacy, and sums up barrels of ink nicely in his post script. Because of this, Addison's volume is not only a strong candidate for the best place to start with Churchill, but also a nice sounding board for those who have read so much Churchill they feel they have begun to lose their bearings as well.
Highly recommended.
September 3, 2021
دربارهٔ کتب بیوگرافی-تاریخی نباید چیزی نوشت، امّا دوست دارم بگم بهقدری از نثرِ روایتگونهٔ کتاب لذت بردم، که بیشتر از اینکه دربارهٔ دیوانهی نابغهای به نام چرچیل «بخونم»، کنارش بودم و داشتم تمام اتفاقات رو «تجربه» میکردم.
از اسیر شدنش گرفته، تا بهظاهر شکستش در نبرد گالیپولی.
بسیار خوشحالم از آشنایی نسبتاً عمیقم با این مرد، بواسطهٔ این کتاب.
از اسیر شدنش گرفته، تا بهظاهر شکستش در نبرد گالیپولی.
بسیار خوشحالم از آشنایی نسبتاً عمیقم با این مرد، بواسطهٔ این کتاب.
December 9, 2017
I have to admit that like many people, I tend to find Winston Churchill a pretty compelling person and a historical person well worth appreciating for his moral courage and his eloquence [1]. In being a late bloomer and longtime partisan politician who became an excellent war leader with a gift for well-written speeches that have proven to be memorable, I think of Winston Churchill as being a similar sort of person to Abraham Lincoln--the author does not make that comparison, but it makes sense. This book is a short one, only about 250 pages or so, but it manages to stay focused on the issue of what made Winston Churchill seem like a failure early in life and what made him a great leader in World War II. He seems like he was a difficult man to get along with, but his energy and wisdom and ability to inspire and encourage made him a fantastic war leader for all of his flaws and imperfections, and the author is right, I think, in viewing the complexity and imperfection of Churchill as a reason why he is still considered a hero today in our decidedly unheroic times.
The book is a fairly conventional biographical narrative in that it begins with a discussion of the background of the author's family--especially important here given the class-bound nature of England, which both benefited and hurt Churchill as a member of the family of the famous Duke of Marlborough and also a half-American with possibly some Seneca blood according to family legend. The author spends a good deal of time talking about Churchill's distance from his parents and from the way that he was shaped by his educational background and how his character was largely consistent throughout his life--he was always ambitious, driven, with a wild imagination and powerful intuition, suffused with a love of history, and entirely heedless to rules and traditions. The full political career of Churchill is given an examination to show the inconsistencies as well as the underlying patterns that the people of his own time were unable to see because they were too infuriated by his bumptious banner and fierce wit. Churchill is also given full credit here as a leader who was best in war--both in World War I and World War II, but one who has never lacked either enemies or defenders. He truly was a great man, if not a perfect one, and this book certainly sits in the "liberal" camp of his defenders.
Whether or not you appreciate this approach as a reader will depend to great extent on what you bring to the table. If you come to this book fond of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches and appreciative of his role as Prime Minister during World War II, you will probably enjoy this book. If you approach this book from either the point of view of hero worship or hostility, there will likely be less to appreciate. The author gives thoughtful commentary that largely exculpates Churchill regarding the major mistakes in Gallipoli but that also points out that sometimes it was those who were assisting him and helping him out that spared him from some of the embarrassments his rashness could have gotten him into had he been less fortunate, and comments that his unpopularity among many party leaders made him a convenient fall guy when things went wrong because of his tendency to take so much credit and be so much a figure of genius that other people were highly jealous of and easily dissatisfied with, especially among those who were his rivals for the highest offices. Overall this is a great book that encourages the reader to read even more about Churchill and his life and words.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
The book is a fairly conventional biographical narrative in that it begins with a discussion of the background of the author's family--especially important here given the class-bound nature of England, which both benefited and hurt Churchill as a member of the family of the famous Duke of Marlborough and also a half-American with possibly some Seneca blood according to family legend. The author spends a good deal of time talking about Churchill's distance from his parents and from the way that he was shaped by his educational background and how his character was largely consistent throughout his life--he was always ambitious, driven, with a wild imagination and powerful intuition, suffused with a love of history, and entirely heedless to rules and traditions. The full political career of Churchill is given an examination to show the inconsistencies as well as the underlying patterns that the people of his own time were unable to see because they were too infuriated by his bumptious banner and fierce wit. Churchill is also given full credit here as a leader who was best in war--both in World War I and World War II, but one who has never lacked either enemies or defenders. He truly was a great man, if not a perfect one, and this book certainly sits in the "liberal" camp of his defenders.
Whether or not you appreciate this approach as a reader will depend to great extent on what you bring to the table. If you come to this book fond of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches and appreciative of his role as Prime Minister during World War II, you will probably enjoy this book. If you approach this book from either the point of view of hero worship or hostility, there will likely be less to appreciate. The author gives thoughtful commentary that largely exculpates Churchill regarding the major mistakes in Gallipoli but that also points out that sometimes it was those who were assisting him and helping him out that spared him from some of the embarrassments his rashness could have gotten him into had he been less fortunate, and comments that his unpopularity among many party leaders made him a convenient fall guy when things went wrong because of his tendency to take so much credit and be so much a figure of genius that other people were highly jealous of and easily dissatisfied with, especially among those who were his rivals for the highest offices. Overall this is a great book that encourages the reader to read even more about Churchill and his life and words.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2013...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
February 6, 2024
🇬🇧 🇬🇧 🇬🇧
وینستون چرچیل که در قرن بیستم دو پیروزی چشمگیری رو به دست آورد، تقریبا از فرش به عرش رسید و تبدیل به یک قهرمان ملی شد. دوران قبل جنگ دست کمش گرفتن، در دوران جنگ زیادی مورد توجه بود و البته قابل احترام و در روزگار امروز دیگه ازش به عنوان قهرمان یاد نمیشه و این کلمه رو فقط گذشتهاش یدک میکشه! چون مردم به ضعفهای این سیاستمدار آگاه شدن.
چرچیل عشق به ماجراجویی و شهرت طلبی داشت و به نظر من هم اون دوره خوب به شهرت رسید با این که مخالفانی هم داشت. مخالفانش معتقد بودند که چرچیل بیتدبیر هست، حرفهای بیاساس میزنه، ناگهان تغییر رویه میده. ولی خب تنها پشت و پناهش در رسیدن به هدفهاش به عوان نخستوزیر محبوبیت مردمیش بود!
همش دوست داشت که مرکز توجه باشه. شاید دلیل شکستهای چرچیل؛ خودشیفته و خودرای بودنش بود!
چرچیل عاشق تجهیزات جنـ*ـگی بود. در نامهای به همسرش، در رزمایش نظامی آلمان سال ۱۹۰۹ حضور داشت، نوشت: تا چه حد جنـ*ـگ مرغ شیفتهی خود و ذهن مرا با خلق صحنههای عظین محسور میکرد. الان که میان این همه سلاح پیشرفته ایستادهام، احساس میکنم، البته این احساس هر سال بیشتر و عمیقتر میشود، چه بسیار معصیت، خباثت، حماقت و توحش و بربریت در جنـ*ـگ نهفته است.
نویسنده، پاول ادیسون، نمای کلی از شخصیت و کارهای سیاسی چرچیل این شخص مردسالار، ضد #کمونیست و #استالین به ما نشون میده.
کتاب در ۷ قسمت نوشته شده. این قسمتها از زمان تولد #چرچیل تا صعود به عرش رو در برمیگیره!
با مرور مختصر تاریخچه خانوداگی، والدین، تحصیلاتش، حضورش در جبهه جنـ*ـگی و تمایلش به عضویت در ��جلس عوام شروع میشه.از تغییر حزبش گفته شده که از حزب محافظهکار به سمت لیبرال کشیده شده. در ادامه از فرماندهیش در نیروی دریایی و اتفاقات جـ*ـنگ جهانی اول گفته شده.
با این که چرچیل در جـ*ـنگ جهانی دوم، نقش پررنگی داشته و، کتاب اطلاعات کمی در اون زمان به ما میده. خیلی خلاصه!
❌ اگه به دنبال کتابی هستید که به شما دید کلی نسبت به این سیاستمدار بده، این کتاب برای شماست، در غیر اینصورت این کتاب برای خوانندهای که آشنایی با چرچیل داره مناسب نیست و اطلاعات جدیدی به شما اضافه نمیکنه!
.
امتیاز من از پنج: امتیازم بین ۲.۵ تا ۳ (راستش تصمیمگیری سخته)
امتیاز Goodreads از پنج: ۳.۷۵
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مشخصات کتاب من:
#چرچیل_قهرمان_پیش_بینی_ناپذیر
نویسنده: #پاول_ادیسون
ترجمه: #محسن_عسکری_جهقی
انتشارات: #نشر_ثالث
چاپ یازدهم: ۱۴۰۲
۲۹۲ صفحه
وینستون چرچیل که در قرن بیستم دو پیروزی چشمگیری رو به دست آورد، تقریبا از فرش به عرش رسید و تبدیل به یک قهرمان ملی شد. دوران قبل جنگ دست کمش گرفتن، در دوران جنگ زیادی مورد توجه بود و البته قابل احترام و در روزگار امروز دیگه ازش به عنوان قهرمان یاد نمیشه و این کلمه رو فقط گذشتهاش یدک میکشه! چون مردم به ضعفهای این سیاستمدار آگاه شدن.
چرچیل عشق به ماجراجویی و شهرت طلبی داشت و به نظر من هم اون دوره خوب به شهرت رسید با این که مخالفانی هم داشت. مخالفانش معتقد بودند که چرچیل بیتدبیر هست، حرفهای بیاساس میزنه، ناگهان تغییر رویه میده. ولی خب تنها پشت و پناهش در رسیدن به هدفهاش به عوان نخستوزیر محبوبیت مردمیش بود!
همش دوست داشت که مرکز توجه باشه. شاید دلیل شکستهای چرچیل؛ خودشیفته و خودرای بودنش بود!
چرچیل عاشق تجهیزات جنـ*ـگی بود. در نامهای به همسرش، در رزمایش نظامی آلمان سال ۱۹۰۹ حضور داشت، نوشت: تا چه حد جنـ*ـگ مرغ شیفتهی خود و ذهن مرا با خلق صحنههای عظین محسور میکرد. الان که میان این همه سلاح پیشرفته ایستادهام، احساس میکنم، البته این احساس هر سال بیشتر و عمیقتر میشود، چه بسیار معصیت، خباثت، حماقت و توحش و بربریت در جنـ*ـگ نهفته است.
نویسنده، پاول ادیسون، نمای کلی از شخصیت و کارهای سیاسی چرچیل این شخص مردسالار، ضد #کمونیست و #استالین به ما نشون میده.
کتاب در ۷ قسمت نوشته شده. این قسمتها از زمان تولد #چرچیل تا صعود به عرش رو در برمیگیره!
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امتیاز من از پنج: امتیازم بین ۲.۵ تا ۳ (راستش تصمیمگیری سخته)
امتیاز Goodreads از پنج: ۳.۷۵
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مشخصات کتاب من:
#چرچیل_قهرمان_پیش_بینی_ناپذیر
نویسنده: #پاول_ادیسون
ترجمه: #محسن_عسکری_جهقی
انتشارات: #نشر_ثالث
چاپ یازدهم: ۱۴۰۲
۲۹۲ صفحه
August 30, 2017
A fine brief history of Winston Churchill's political carrier. I feel like the author could stand to include more context to the events around which Churchill was maneuvering, rather than sticking so rigorously to the politics. It also seems to me that Addison views Churchill through rose-tinted glasses (the title is already good evidence for that). Churchill is a controversial historical figure, and Addison kinda brushes over his controversies.
January 18, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Unlike many who write about the man, professor Addison doesn't try and either gloss over facts or deny Churchill's flaws.
Instead he presents the man as he was, flawed, but he knew it, and he used the gifts/flaws he had to the best of his ability.
Would recommend the book to anyone.
Instead he presents the man as he was, flawed, but he knew it, and he used the gifts/flaws he had to the best of his ability.
Would recommend the book to anyone.
April 17, 2023
Interesting man, interesting life, kind of boring book. Too sparse!
August 8, 2025
برگهایم! چرا تاریخا شمسی بود:))
۰.۲۵
۰.۲۵
August 25, 2014
This is a very interesting well written, if a bit slow at times due to details but maybe they would be more interesting and more understandable by a Brit, however I will make some observations.
the Oxford Lives and Legacies is supposed to be made up of brief books. At just shy of 300 pages of copy it is brief and maybe the briefest of any biography of Churchill I have seen or read.
The author has written extensively about both Churchill and WWII.
The book is a 2005 publication and many previous works about and by Churchill are analyzed and discussed in detail. The attitudes of the authors, especially Churchill, are discussed too and I think that reading this book is a good foundation before reading the many works of Churchill written later in life.
I think that this book really benefits from the long experience and reading and study of this British author.
Also various "facts" are modified by more recent studies - for example the reason for Churchill's fathers death.
But the approach is very interesting - to discuss and illustrate, chronologically, the events that pushed Churchill down in the years between WWI and the beginning of WWII.
Not to be too brief the book did include his family and his parents, briefly, his wife - a constant ally - and his children - not so successful there.
the Oxford Lives and Legacies is supposed to be made up of brief books. At just shy of 300 pages of copy it is brief and maybe the briefest of any biography of Churchill I have seen or read.
The author has written extensively about both Churchill and WWII.
The book is a 2005 publication and many previous works about and by Churchill are analyzed and discussed in detail. The attitudes of the authors, especially Churchill, are discussed too and I think that reading this book is a good foundation before reading the many works of Churchill written later in life.
I think that this book really benefits from the long experience and reading and study of this British author.
Also various "facts" are modified by more recent studies - for example the reason for Churchill's fathers death.
But the approach is very interesting - to discuss and illustrate, chronologically, the events that pushed Churchill down in the years between WWI and the beginning of WWII.
Not to be too brief the book did include his family and his parents, briefly, his wife - a constant ally - and his children - not so successful there.
March 10, 2009
Considering that biographies of Winston Churchill usually span multiple volumes, I was a little concerned about how one book with only a few hundred pages would do. The answer is, surprisingly well. It hit the high points without becoming too repetitive. It did get a little "second version, same as the first" by the last chapter, but that's because Churchill's life did follow the same pattern--rise to leadership, catastrophe, exile, brilliant return, round and round and round. The bulk of the book focuses on the pre-WWII Churchill, which is a Churchill who's very unfamiliar to American audiences. I wrote my senior paper on the Yalta conference and thought I had at least a reasonable grasp of the facts, but I was shocked but how really little I knew about him before about 1939.
One word of caution: the book was written for people who already have a grasp of the basic history and just need the details filled in, so the author doesn't bother to slow down and explain anything. They will mention an event or place and not explain it what it is, just that it is important. "After X event, Churchill had to change course," without really explaining what X event was or why it was important, in any way beyond the immediate context.
One word of caution: the book was written for people who already have a grasp of the basic history and just need the details filled in, so the author doesn't bother to slow down and explain anything. They will mention an event or place and not explain it what it is, just that it is important. "After X event, Churchill had to change course," without really explaining what X event was or why it was important, in any way beyond the immediate context.
July 14, 2013
This is a brief biography of Winston Churchill. The focus of this biography is Churchill the man, not the day-to-day man, but the man who changed political parties twice, was the author of several war time disasters, was the friend to the working man (and woman), abhorred Stalin but kept quiet about several of his excesses in order to keep peace among the Allies, and the man who thought he was a great strategist (but often wasn't). Paul Addison does a good job of explaining Churchill to us, in all his complexities, but I would have appreciated more quotes to support his comments. I don't doubt that he'd done the research to back up his statements, but I wanted to see them, too. Recommended to those who want to know about Churchill without having to wade through the 8 volumes of his official biography.
July 1, 2014
I picked this up for a fairly cheap price on Kindle. I've always been interested in reading about Churchill a bit more then what I just learned in history classes and this was a good starting book. This is a fairly simple 300 page book that goes from birth to death and then a small chapter on his legacy. Clearly Churchill's life has been chronicled in volumes of books so a 300 page biography pretty much amounts to nothing more then an outline and that's what this book is. Not a lot of details as far as war strategy, individual battle statistics, ect are in this book but it gives the reader a nice outline of his political career and of course WWII which created the Churchill legend. All in all, a Churchill junky would probably find this book beyond boring.....for starters, it's a good one.
May 26, 2013
This short volume adds a missing piece to the Churchill legacy. Addison walks a middle line between those who dismiss Churchill's monumental achievements and those who can't see his errors. This is a very balanced, though positive view of the great man's leadership in the war years. He contributed largely to his own legacy with his superb skills with the English language. His prodigious writing wed well his politics and his view of history as he combined voice of a prophet with the wisdom of a philosopher. A very nicely received view of Churchill.
December 13, 2014
A fast read on the life of Churchill. One major theme the author returned to was the subject's inconsistencies in statements, actions, and allegiances. Another theme was the subject's delusions of grandeur (my words, not the author's) which in peacetime were obnoxious, but necessary to repel the Nazi scourge during the War. Both of these themes offered a human perspective of Churchill that I hadn't considered before.
April 18, 2013
We tend to make people so one dimensional when we look at them from the outside, and it is only when we look very closely that we realise they are as complex as us... Winston Churchill is definitely one of the more complex characters that walked on the world stage, and all the more interesting for that.
January 4, 2016
An eye opening account of a leader who was not always liked
I found this book interesting. I had never thought about all the years of service he had before WWII. I had assumed he was always a good leader and well respected. That was not the case before the war. And after the war, they seemed to feel he would get back into a war. Very interesting dynamics.
I found this book interesting. I had never thought about all the years of service he had before WWII. I had assumed he was always a good leader and well respected. That was not the case before the war. And after the war, they seemed to feel he would get back into a war. Very interesting dynamics.
January 23, 2013
Good, short biography that suited my purpose of discovering a more rounded picture of Churchill. After reading his volumes on WWII it was evident that despite the excellent, primary source-driven account of the war much was omitted.
September 23, 2015
A very informative history of Churchill and his work. There was a great deal of information I had never learned about, and the focus on his political tactics and moves were very interesting. It was a slow, dry read at times, but overall I recommend it.
February 26, 2014
This was a little bit long and a little too focused on English politics. I enjoyed the glimpses into Churchill's personal life and his style as a leader. He was a very interesting public figure. It was surprising to hear how unpopular he was for most of his career.
February 7, 2011
paukl addisson unexpectewd hero is tha last book that he wrote on churchill . shrewd and to the point analysis an very few errors . a frresh and great analysis of churchill career .
November 19, 2013
WINSTON CHURCHILL SUCKS!!!111
August 6, 2014
Quite a good introduction to Churchill. As someone with no prior knowledge of him, I found this book an interesting read. Gives a good general account of Churchills life from a neutral viewpoint.
August 26, 2016
Quick read that does a good job providing an overview of Churchill's life.
February 4, 2017
Would have liked more about the soul and psyche of the man... Good introduction to a man of conviction.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Churchill: The Unexpected Hero - Nevisande : Paul Addison - ISBN : 199279349 - ISBN13 : 9780199279340 - Dar 320 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2004
October 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews