XPost: alt.history.what-if

Posting this for A425couple as he is having issues connecting to Usenet:


The background, my question (really an old one) is stirred up by a new book,

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History – by Boris Johnson

first from https://www.amazon.com/Churchill-Factor-How-Made-History/dp/1594633983

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History – October 27, 2015 by Boris Johnson

Wow!  If you are in the USA, you can get it delivered to your door
used, for just $5.60. 75% or raters gave it a 5 star out of 5 rating.

I'm sure glad I got it and am enjoying it. I especially enjoyed the treatment of his shaping of the Middle East,
and refusing the 'truce' approach in May 1940.

"From London’s inimitable mayor, Boris Johnson, the New York Times–bestselling story of how Churchill’s eccentric genius shaped not
only his world but our own.

On the fiftieth anniversary of Churchill’s death, Boris Johnson
celebrates 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 contagious bravery, breathtaking 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 pioneered aerial bombing and few could
match his experience in organizing violence on a colossal scale, yet he
hated war and scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors.
He was the most famous journalist of his time and perhaps the greatest
orator of all time, despite a lisp and the chronic depression he kept at
bay by painting. His maneuvering positioned America for entry into World
War II, even as it ushered in England’s postwar decline. His
open-mindedness made him a trailblazer in health care, education, and
social welfare, though he remained incorrigibly politically incorrect.
Most of all, he was a rebuttal to the idea that history is the story of
vast and impersonal forces; he is proof that one person—intrepid,
ingenious, determined—can make all the difference."

"Editorial Reviews
Praise for The Churchill Factor:

“[The Churchill Factor] isn’t another potted biography. . . . [Johnson] clearly admires his subject, and his book has a boyish, innocent quality
that is also an essential part of Mr. Johnson’s political appeal.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Buoyant, quick-witted and vastly entertaining.” —The Economist

“A lively, and pertinent, introduction . . . Johnson has painted his
portrait of Churchill with light, learning, and good sense, a wise
aggregation of present and past.” —The Weekly Standard

“Fascinating . . . [Johnson’s] interpretation of [Churchill] is
interesting on every page.” —Freakonomics

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

“A full-throated celebration of human greatness and perhaps the best
(and certainly the funniest) . . . introduction to Churchill yet written
. . . delightful and effervescent.” —The Daily Beast

“Filled with vivid observations.” —The Washington Post

“A characteristically breathless romp through the life and times of our greatest wartime leader, Winston Churchill . . . as high on
entertainment as it is on providing an appraisal of the great man’s achievements . . . Johnson’s distinctive writing style is unlike any
other used in the countless books that have been written on Churchill .
. . It reads at times like a mixture of Monty Python and the Horrible Histories.” —The Telegraph (4 stars)

“An interesting study of a truly fascinating historical figure . . . [Johnson] is a good, sound writer with a very distinct, unique voice . .
. It is as if [he] were sitting with you on a long night in a pub over
pints telling you everything he knows and think of Churchill.” —Pop Mythology

“Johnson has knocked this project out of the park. With this book
Johnson has not only managed to create the most readable non-fiction
prose I have read all year, but he has managed to clarify myth, destroy
recent revisionism and unearth new material. The book amuses and
educates in equal measure with a deftness of touch and lightness of
learning that is beyond most people. He has done this while holding down
one of the country’s busiest and most high-profile jobs.” —Quadrapheme

“[The Churchill Factor] is both paean of praise and irreverent romp,
with analysis of Churchill’s smorgasbord of achievements . . . Its
stress on the importance of political bravery, and doing what is morally
right, rather than what the polls and press dictate, is a timeless
message.” —The Jewish Chronicle

“Combine[s] bathos with humour and a welcome clarity of historical
argument . . . there is much to commend in this spirited, entertaining
tale.” —The Guardian

“The Churchill Factor would have been a worthy contribution without the political overtones. Like Sir Winston—who somehow published 43 books
(and won the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature) while not busy leading the
defeat of Hitler—Mr. Johnson is a superb writer. Despite the heavy
subject matter, The Churchill Factor is a light and quick read . . . [Johnson’s] brisk style of writing . . . helps keep the book moving, challenging readers with occasional get-out-your-dictionary words and
rewarding them with the odd belly laugh.” —Globe and Mail

“Like all Johnson’s work [The Churchill Factor] is beautifully written, particularly as, in this case, he rises to the linguistic standards set
by his subject . . . it is clear that he not only admires Churchill
enormously, but that he was also determined to make a really good job of
a timely reassessment on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Churchill’s death.” —Saga Magazine

“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

“Irresistible . . . chatty, enthusiastic and as funny as you would
expect.” —The Spectator

“Riveting. It would be a fascinating read [even] without the Johnson Factor—[but] Boris is a superb, accessible writer, with an easy, good-humoured touch. . . . The result is entertaining, informative and teasing.” —The Independent

“Readable, engaging and often funny.” —Evening Standard

“While there are many accounts of Winston Churchill and his political
savvy, one would be remiss to ignore this sprightly written volume. . .
. Johnson’s history of Churchill is well crafted, amply researched, and
a pleasure to read.” —Library Journal

“Reading about Churchill is always a delight, and Johnson is an
accomplished, accessible writer.”
—Kirkus Reviews

"Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, popular historian and journalist who has served as Mayor of
London since 2008 and as Member of Parliament (MP) for Uxbridge and
South Ruislip since 2015. Johnson previously served as the MP for Henley
from 2001 until 2008. A member of the Conservative Party, Johnson
considers himself a One Nation Conservative and has been described as a libertarian due to his association with both economically liberal and culturally liberal policies."

There is also a wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Churchill_Factor#:~:text=The%20Churchill%20Factor%3A%20How%20One,October%202014%20by%20Hodder%20%26%20Stoughton.

Which is fairly critical, and implies Johnson is being self serving, but also includes "Another review said "like its characterisation of
some of Churchill's own writings, this book is 'crisp, punchy, full of
the kind of wham-bam short sentences that keep the reader moving down
the page'."

The Goodreads opinions are here (they rate 4 of 5): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20893481-the-churchill-factor

Part of what one of their reviewers wrote is: "There’s quite a bit of hero worship in this book – Boris is clearly
awe struck by the man – but it’s very hard not to come away thinking
how much Churchill packed into his lifetime. Was he the greatest Britain of all time? Well maybe, certainly a poll taken in 2002 concluded he was. But anyway you look at it he was definitely the right man for the right time."

As another said, "You meet Boris Johnson in the pub for a drink. You mention Churchill and 4 hours later you leave the pub, wondering where the time went. That´s what it feels like to read this book."

And another: "I was skeptical that this might be another droning history book. Johnson quickly drew me in though, to what seemed an enthusiastic scholarly chat in a pub, full of good humour."

But then, one unhappy person wrote,
"Weaker then Lemon tea." --- but I suspect that is a dislike based on Labor Party opinions.

And an
https://www.newstatesman.com › Culture › Books
The Churchill Factor: “One man who made history” by another who just
makes it up. Reading Johnson's The Churchill Factor is like “being
harangued for hours ...

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made Historyhttps://books.google.com ›
... › Political
'The point of the Churchill Factor is that one man can make all the difference.' Marking the fiftieth anniversary of Winston Churchill's
death, ...

The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History by Boris ...https://www.theguardian.com › books › dec › the-churc...
Dec 10, 2014 — The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History by Boris Johnson – review ... What must it be like to be trapped in irony – to be
so infused by it ...

The Churchill Factor review – Boris Johnson's flawed but ...https://www.theguardian.com › books › nov › churchill...
Nov 3, 2014 — In the orgy of pre-publicity for this book, much has been
made of Johnson's not so subtle attempts to draw a parallel between
himself and ...

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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