we will fight them with the butt end of broken bottles, because that's bloody well all we've got.'Ĭhurchill also realized that 'only the industrial might and manpower of America would ensure the final eradication of Hitler and National Socialism,' and Larson details Churchill's successful efforts to persuade President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to help the British out.

Observers considered him 'flamboyant, electric, and wholly unpredictable' as well as 'capricious and meddlesome, inclined toward dynamic action in every direction at once.' He was also dealing with several personal demons: He was deeply in debt, as was his son, Randolph, who had 'a gift not just for spending money but also for losing it gamblling, at which his ineptitude was legendary.'īut Churchill won over the British public in short order, in large part thanks to his now-famous speech on June 4, 1940, in which he proclaimed, 'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills we shall never surrender.' Amusingly, Larson writes, Churchill then turned to a colleague and said, under his breath, 'And. Larson's book starts off with a recounting of 'a singular event that occurred just before dusk on May 10, 1940, one of the loveliest evenings in one of the finest springs anyone could recall.' Earlier in the day, Germany had invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, sending a shockwave of alarm in the U.K., which was already dealing with political unrest - Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain had resigned, and King George VI appointed Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, to replace him.įirst Reads Exclusive First Read: Erik Larson's 'The Splendid And The Vile' It's a sprawling, gripping account of Winston Churchill's first year as prime minister of the United Kingdom, and it's nearly impossible to put down. Over his career, he has developed a reputation for being able to write about disparate subjects with intelligence, wit and beautiful prose.įans of Larson will be happy to hear that his latest book, The Splendid and the Vile, is no exception. The author is known for his fascinating nonfiction accounts of subjects ranging from guns to hurricanes his best-known work, The Devil in the White City, told the story of the 1893 World's Fair and notorious serial killer H.H.

There are countless books about World War II, but there's only one Erik Larson. Your purchase helps support NPR programming.

Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title The Splendid and the Vile Subtitle A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz Author Erik Larson

Splendid in the vile