World War II Database

In 2002, the BBC conducted a survey to determine the "100 Greatest Britons", and Winston Churchill came out on the top of the list, beating other figures such as Princess Diana, Charles Darwin, William Shakespeare, and Queen Elizabeth I. While the survey was not necessarily objective, Churchill's placement reflected, at the least, people's appreciation of what he had done for the United Kingdom. Paul Johnson's Churchill, published in 2009, offered his take on the life of this giant in British history.

In terms of content, this book presented a good summary on Churchill's life from birth until death, naturally with much greater emphasis in the years between the mid-1910s the mid-1940s. Though short (the printed edition was under 200 pages), the author found the space to include less well known facts such as Chartwell as a source of enjoyment and a source of financial burden, his personal hobby of painting, and, of course, his affinity for the English language. Johnson's presented his analysis of Churchill with ample support, setting up his subject of study as an affable and hard-working man. A noted shortcoming of the book in my opinion was the hero worship the author had of Churchill, a problem often seen of biographers but should not be dismissed. The author's writing was eloquent, and his editorial on what later generations could learn from Churchill, found in the epilogue, was something I particularly enjoyed.

I had reviewed this title in its audio book format. Simon Prebble did a wonderful job with the reading. As an American, it took me a couple of minutes to adjust to his British accent, but once adjusted, I found his voice to be perfect for this biography, both for the words written by the author as well as for those by Churchill.

Although not the most comprehensive, I enjoyed Paul Johnson's Churchill. Being a fan of William Manchester and thus biased, The Last Lion (particularly volume two, dealing with the years leading up to the war and the first year of the war), would always be my go-to account of Churchill. Nevertheless, Johnson's recent effort was a good one, and I would dare say that it would serve as a complement to The Last Lion for a fuller view on this larger-than-life historical figure.