Young Titan

July 1, 2013

Shelden (Mark Twain; The Lost Generation) presents a detailed, well-researched look at Winston Churchill from age 26 to 40 (1901-15), including his entry into national politics and meteoric rise to political power, shifting parties from Conservative to Liberal, and fast fall from grace as First Lord of the Admiralty with the Dardanelles disaster. Shelden explores the eagerness and ambition of the young man coming into his own as he takes on the best and brightest political figures of his day. Glimpses of Churchill's personal life include his friendships and family interactions, plus his pursuit of several beauties, the rejections by three women of his marriage proposals, and eventually finding a good match with the fourth and becoming a loving husband and father. John Curless's British accents are perfect and add a rich dimension to this biography. VERDICT Highly Recommended. ["Ted Morgan's Churchill: Young Man in a Hurry, 1874-1915 was published over 30 years ago. Shelden takes into account the Churchill literature that has appeared since then and focuses further on the profound impact losing his cabinet position had on the man. This deserves its rightful place on libraries' groaning Churchill shelves," read the review of the S. & S. hc, LJ 4/1/13.--Ed.]--Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.