by Mark Logue
First published 2010
King Edward VIII has abandoned the throne to marry his beloved, leaving his brother George VI to lead Britain into World War II. George VI faces an impossible challenge. The painfully shy monarch suffers from a debilitating stammer that makes public speaking agony. How can he rally a nation when he struggles to speak a single sentence? Enter Lionel Logue, an unconventional Australian speech therapist whose common origins clash with royal protocol. Logue must break through centuries of tradition and the king's deep insecurities to unlock George's voice. As war looms and the country desperately needs leadership, an unlikely friendship develops between the reluctant ruler and his determined teacher. Their partnership becomes a race against time to transform a stammering duke into a king who can inspire his people through their darkest hour.
Genres: drama, historical-fiction, 20th-century, world-war-ii, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Britain
Period: World War II
242 pages · Paperback · Union Square & Co.