Michael and David discuss William Manchester’s first volume on Winston Churchill, The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932. Covering Winston Churchill’s early life through the aftermath of World War I, Manchester captures both the myth and the man brilliant, reckless, ambitious, and often out of step with his time. What makes this first volume so compelling is its momentum: Churchill’s rise feels inevitable in hindsight, yet Manchester carefully shows just how precarious and unlikely his path really was. Rich with detail and written in a vivid, almost novelistic style, Visions of Glory invites you not just to learn about Churchill, but to experience the world that shaped him and the stubborn force of personality that would one day help shape the world in return.
Brains and Brawn 