First published 2016
Candice Millard chronicles Winston Churchill's pivotal experience during the Boer War when he was just twenty-four years old. The future prime minister arrived in South Africa in 1899 as a war correspondent, determined to achieve battlefield glory that would launch his political career. Within two weeks, Boer forces ambushed his armored train and captured him. Churchill executed a bold prison break and then faced the daunting challenge of crossing hundreds of miles of hostile territory with only cash, chocolate, and his determination. His successful escape was just the beginning. Churchill enlisted as a soldier, participated in multiple battles, and eventually helped free his fellow prisoners. Millard reveals how this formative period shaped the man who would later lead Britain through World War II. The author weaves together Churchill's personal transformation with the broader context of British colonial warfare, introducing readers to historical figures like Rudyard Kipling, Lord Kitchener, and Mohandas Gandhi. This account demonstrates how Churchill's South African adventure established the foundation for his later political life and influenced his approach to twentieth-century leadership.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, military-history, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, underdog
Setting: South Africa
Period: 1899
381 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday