Hero of the empire [LP] the Boer war, a daring escape, and the making of Winston Churchill
"At age twenty-four, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite...
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| Format: | Books Print Book Large Print |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[New York] :
Random House Large Print,
[2015].
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| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | "At age twenty-four, Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day, despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite deliberately putting himself in extreme danger as a British Army officer in colonial wars in India and Sudan, and as a journalist covering a Cuban uprising against the Spanish, glory and fame had eluded him. Churchill arrived in South Africa in 1899, valet and crates of vintage wine in tow, there to cover the brutal colonial war the British were fighting with Boer rebels. But just two weeks after his arrival, the soldiers he was accompanying on an armored train were ambushed, and Churchill was taken prisoner. Remarkably, he pulled off a daring escape-- but then had to traverse hundreds of miles of enemy territory, alone, with nothing but a crumpled wad of cash, four slabs of chocolate, and his wits to guide him. The story of his escape is incredible enough, but then Churchill enlisted, returned to South Africa, fought in several battles, and ultimately liberated the men with whom he had been imprisoned. Churchill would later remark that this period, "could I have seen my future, was to lay the foundations of my later life." Millard spins an epic story of bravery, savagery, and chance encounters with a cast of historical characters--including Rudyard Kipling, Lord Kitchener, and Mohandas Gandhi--with whom he would later share the world stage. But Hero of the Empire is more than an adventure story, for the lessons Churchill took from the Boer War would profoundly affect 20th century history"--Provided by publisher. |
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| Physical Description: | 640 p. (large print) ; 24 cm. |
| ISBN: | 9780804194891 0804194890 |
| Author Notes: | Millard's first book, The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey, was a New York Times bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year by a number of publications including the New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and Christian Science Monitor. The River of Doubt was also a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection and a Book Sense Pick, was a finalist for the Quill Awards, and won the William Rockhill Nelson Award. Millard's second book, The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President, was released in September 2011. Millard's book, Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill, made the New York Times Bestseller list in 2016. (Bowker Author Biography) |
