*Winston’s War: Churchill 1940-1945*

The author of this book is Max Hastings.  Although this topic may seem like well-trodden ground, this is so far one of my favorite non-fiction books of the year.  Excerpt:

It was remarkable how much the mood in Washington had shifted since January.  This time, there was no adulation for Churchill the visitor.  "Anti-British feeling is still strong," the British embassy reported to London, "stronger than it was before Pearl Harbor…This state of affairs is partly due to the fact that whereas it was difficult to criticize Britain while the UK was being bombed, such criticism no longer carries the stigma of isolationist or pro-Nazi sympathies."  Senator Allen Ellender of Louisiana declared sourly there "there was little point in supplying the British with war material since they invariably lost it all."

Among other things, it is an excellent book for communicating how military alliances actually work and how much humiliation a nation feels if it keeps on losing military battles or is unable to fight in response.  I also had not realized what a folly British policy toward Singapore was.  Definitely recommended.  Here is one review of the book.  Here is an excerpt.

Not everyone in Australia likes Max Hastings.