The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History - Softcover

Johnson, Boris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 144478305X ISBN 13: 9781444783056

Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks, 2015

Synopsis

**Read how Britain's new Prime Minister was inspired by Winston Churchill**

'The must-read biography of the year.' Evening Standard

'He writes with gusto... the result is a book that is never boring, genuinely clever ... this book sizzles.' The Times

The point of the Churchill Factor is that one man can make all the difference.

On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of Winston Churchill's death, and written in conjunction with the Churchill Estate, Boris Johnson explores what makes up the 'Churchill Factor' - the singular brilliance of one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century. Taking on the myths and misconceptions along with the outsized reality, he portrays - with characteristic wit and passion - a man of multiple contradictions, contagious bravery, breath-taking eloquence, matchless strategizing, and deep humanity.

Fearless on the battlefield, Churchill had to be ordered by the King to stay out of action on D-Day; he embraced large-scale strategic bombing, yet hated the destruction of war and scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors. He was a celebrated journalist, a great orator and won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was famous for his ability to combine wining and dining with many late nights of crucial wartime decision-making. His open-mindedness made him a pioneer in health care, education, and social welfare, though he remained incorrigibly politically incorrect.

Most of all, as Boris Johnson says, 'Churchill is the resounding human rebuttal to all who think history is the story of vast and impersonal economic forces'.

The Churchill Factor is a book to be enjoyed not only by anyone interested in history: it is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what makes a great leader.

About this title

Review:

The must-read biography of the year. (Evening Standard)

Genuinely clever... this book sizzles. (The Times)

Churchill's own energy - his indefatigable pursuit of excitement, glory, place and power - demands a writer of fizz and passion to do history justice. Johnson is that writer. (Mail on Sunday)

A bravura performance...Johnson has not only celebrated Churchill in this book: he has emulated him with comparable panache. (Financial Times)

A characteristically breathless romp through the life and times of our greatest wartime leader...high on entertainment as it is on providing an appraisal of the great man's achievements. (Telegraph)

Readable, engaging and often funny. (Evening Standard)

An engagingly written romp through the elder statesman's greatest achievements. (Observer)

Riveting...Boris is a superb, accessible writer, with an easy, good-humoured touch. (Independent)

The book's style is often chatty, enthusiastic and as funny as you would expect. (The Spectator)

Splendidly enjoyable... It is rare to find a serious study of a politician that's this entertaining. (Daily Express)

Book Description:

Essential reading for anyone who wants to know what makes a great leader. Boris Johnson re-ignites the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill, to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 144478305X
• ISBN 13: 9781444783056
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432