The Gathering Storm

We watched Darkest Hour, a pretty good film about Winston Churchill taking the reins of the British government after the failure of the appeasement policy (with an astonishing, virtuoso performance by Gary Oldman as Churchill) – which made me interested in reading The Gathering Storm – the first of Churchill’s six-volume history and personal memoir of the period from the end of the first World War to the end of the Second World War.  Churchill was a masterful writer (he received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953, though for other writings, not the history).  

The book amply fulfills its stated theme:

HOW THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES
THROUGH THEIR UNWISDOM
CARELESSNESS AND GOOD NATURE
ALLOWED THE WICKED
TO REARM

Of course, Churchill’s stirring speeches are famous for their emotional power and The Gathering Storm includes some striking examples. Churchill first described post World War One Germany, after the allies imposed The Weimar Republic, as a tepid democracy “which was regarded as the imposition of the enemy” and then paints a vivid picture of the consequences:

Thereafter mighty forces were adrift, the void was open, and into that void after a pause there strode a maniac of ferocious genius, the repository and expression of the most virulent hatreds that have ever corroded the human breast – Corporal Hitler.

Many of his conclusions and recommendations speak forcefully to the world situation today:

When three or four powerful Governments acting together have demanded the most fearful sacrifices from their peoples, when these have been given freely for the common cause, and when the longed-for result has been attained, it would seem reasonable that concerted action should be preserved so that at least the essentials would not be cast away.  But this modest requirement the might, civilization, learning, knowledge, science, of the victors were unable to supply.  They lived from hand to mouth and day to day, and from one election to another, until, when scarcely twenty years were out, the dread signal of the Second World War was given, and we must write of the sons of those who had fought and died so faithfully and well: 

Shoulder to aching shoulder, side by side,
They trudged away from life’s broad wealds of light
 -Siegfried Sassoon

In addition to his unparalleled gift for rousing and emotional language, Churchill’s narrative and persuasive writing throughout is marked by simplicity, clarity and power.  A sad story, masterfully recounted.

The Boys in the Boat

This book is terrific!  Well, I often run from "uplifting" books, but this is so well written, with different narrative threads providing resonance with the rags-to-glory story, that it's exceptional - and I was absorbed and stirred by the book.

In brief, it's the story of a collection of young men, most very poor and from logging camps, farms and mill towns, who were members of the 8-oar crew at the University of Washington in Seattle, which ultimately won the gold medal at the infamous 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  The events are set against the backdrop of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the Depression and the turmoil wrought by the devastating Dustbowl storms.

The story of Hitler's frustration by the gold medals of Jesse Owens is well-known and this is a parallel story, though along the way, these young men first had to conquer the skills and superior attitudes of crews from elite East Coast schools.  While Owens' story demonstrates the superlative achievements of one man, The Boys in the Boat emphasizes what can be accomplished by a group working in a harmony that is almost spiritual.   The central character is Joe Rantz, whose upbringing provides first a heartbreaking story of abandonment and poverty that is overcome by determination, resourcefulness and strength, which commands admiration and respect.  Joe's early struggles and doubts, eventually followed by triumphs and a fulfilling marriage, mirror and enrich the story of the crew.

The story is extremely well-researched and documented and is driven by it's improbable and ultimately joyful and heroic achievements.  YouTube offers a very nice presentation by the author, who reads from a portion of the book.   Very highly recommended!