Winston Churchill's War Leadership (Vintage)

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: As an admirer of Churchill I was very excited by the discovery that there was a new book about him from his official biographer Martin Gilbert. However after ordering and reading the book I was very disappointed. There is absolutely no new information about Churchill in this 97-page "pamphlet". This "pamphlet" is simple the text of a lecture Martin Gilbert gave at the University of Toronto. If you have read "Finest Hour" or "Churchill: A Life" also by Martin Gilbert, there is no need to waste your money and read this abridgement.

Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: As an admirer of Churchill I was very excited by the discovery that there was a new book about him from his official biographer Martin Gilbert. However after ordering and reading the book I was very disappointed. There is absolutely no new information about Churchill in this 97-page "pamphlet". This "pamphlet" is simple the text of a lecture Martin Gilbert gave at the University of Toronto. If you have read "Finest Hour" or "Churchill: A Life" also by Martin Gilbert, there is no need to waste your money and read this abridgement.

Rating:
Summary: Churchill's greatness as a leader beautifully explicated
Review: This book manages to outline the major principles of Churchill's greatness as a leader, and to give a fascinating account of the decision- making process during the Second World War. One of the major elements and this should be kept in mind by Western leaders today is that Churchill even in the darkest hours would not placate and negotiate with Evil. The word 'Defeat' was simply not part of his strategic vocabulary. His indomitable spirit influenced all those around him.
This does not mean as Gilbert makes clear that Churchill did not have his doubts, his despairs, his periods of anger and frustration. But always he was able to overcome , and to keep the main goal, the defeat of the enemy before his eyes. His remarkable courage and his great ability to inspire others , combined with his thorough, responsible and comprehensive intellect helped make him the outstanding political leader of the twentieth century. Whether at the darkest hour of retreat at Dunkirk or in the moments of great relief and victory Churchill made himself the living embodiment of the spirit of the people, the salty and courageously defiant British people he led and loved.
Gilbert is a master of condensation, of wise judgment in writing. He has done all those who care about the subject of Leadership a very real service with this small in size, but great in meaning, work.

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read
Review: This book succinctly and brilliantly encapsulates Churchill's qualities as a wartime leader and shows Martin Gilbert's writing at its best. Ranging across the influence of Churchill's' long experience on his war leadership, his daily pattern of work, his personal example and his relationships with those under his command, this is a fascinating survey, first given by Gilbert in the White House.