The Last Lion: Alone

by William Manchester

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In a word: sobering

In a sentence: As Churchill is disenfranchised from the House of Commons in the 1930s, England becomes disenfranchised from her integrity in the decade leading into WWII.

Synopsis: The Last Lion: Alone spans the life of Winston Churchill from his resignation in 1932 until his premiership in 1940. This period leading up to the beginning of WWII is plagued with men of feeble nature, all except Churchill and Hitler. While Hitler cleaves an increasingly bloody path through Eastern Europe, Churchill sounds the ominous alarm that no one in England wants to hear.

Reactions: This book is hard. It was a hard time for Churchill, ostracized and ignored, a hard time to observe Parliament too closely in all its betrayals and intentional ignorance, and surely a hard text for Manchester to write in bridging the gap between Churchill's early life and his Prime Ministry.

Churchill, ostracized and ignored, spent this time crying wolf to the unheeding ears of his fellow members of Parliament. This book focused less on Churchill as a man, his inner workings and idiosyncrasies, and more on the facts that surrounded him and the actions he chose in response to these facts. In painting a picture of England and Parliament in the 1930s, Manchester illustrates the breadth of what Churchill could accomplish even in political shackles. From his covert espionage tactics, to his sweeping literary creations, Churchill's accomplishments outside the House are truly unmatched. These tangible exploits, though significant, pale in comparison to an inherent narcissist knowingly making a pariah of himself for the sake of English honor, and democracy around the world. Recognizing the dangers of Naziism before anyone else in England, Churchill intentionally martyrs himself in the name of integrity and honor. Although painful to witness even from the great distance time has created from these events, history will cheer them in both the final installment of this trilogy, and for centuries to come.

Read if: you are determined enough to continue through this trilogy, Alone sets an ominous stage for the grand finale.