The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

I came to this book because it is on Obama's 2020 reading list, and I try to read things that he recommends, albeit often a year late, especially when it comes to the non-fiction books, but I find that I am often pleased by what I read and sometimes wouldn't have come across it in another way. This book, as well as a number of selections from the 2020 list can be so characterized. This book is by someone who is well know for making history more of a story than a recitation of details and who was not a huge Churcill fan. it tells of Winston Churchill’s harrowing first year as U.K. prime minister during World War II — a period when continental Europe had already been steamrolled by Hitler, America had not yet joined the fight, and England, standing alone, withstood nine months of continuous bombing raids that would kill 44,652 of the British people. It was the year Churchill’s legacy is built on — when his most iconic speeches were delivered, when the image of him as the indefatigable bulldog was sealed. There are narrative arcs, heroes, villains, and suspense aplenty to craft the kind of rich, and immersive histories reciubted, juxtaposed by the British strategy and what the Germans were plotting. There is a sense of what the British endured, and how it came about--really, they had no choice. They were squarely on the side of good, while the Germans were warmongers set upon destruction, power, and avarice. It is scary, less so for knowing the ending, and an enlightening read.