August 15, 2011
A minor genre, the day-by-day chronicle, receives a fine addition as veteran historian Weintraub (15 Stars: Eisenhower, MacArthur, Marshall, etc.) devotes a chapter each to the last 10 days of 1941 plus New Year’s Day. He describes the Wehrmacht’s epic winter debacle in Russia and Japan’s advances across Asia with dazzling detail. The primary focus, however, remains on events in Washington enlivened by the presence of Churchill, who invited himself shortly after Pearl Harbor. A reluctant Roosevelt would have preferred to use the time to organize the nation for war; nevertheless, he welcomed the prime minister. Roy Jenkins, a later cabinet member, compared Churchill “to a real-life version of The Man Who Came to Dinner.” U.S. brass worried about FDR’s susceptibility to his famous charisma—which was on full display as Churchill extended his stay in the White House, captivated the media, and delivered stirring addresses to Congress and radio audiences. Weintraub does not exaggerate what followed, but readers will enjoy his opinionated portraits of the allied leaders as they hammered out strategy, much of which was rendered irrelevant by subsequent events. Photos.
June 15, 2011
Folks weren't thinking much about Christmas in 1941; America had just declared war, and fighting was unfolding globally. Then Churchill swept across the waters to plan strategy with Roosevelt and help light the White House Christmas tree. From a veteran history author; look for a big push at ALA.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2011
Prolific historian Weintraub (Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce) again ties an epic piece of history to its holiday season. The period immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, when the country was still in shock, has not been well covered. The primary story here is of Prime Minister Churchill sailing across the U-boat-infested North Atlantic to confer with President Roosevelt to map out the general strategy that would win the war. Americans were finding it hard to transition to a wartime status: there were still traditional celebrations, such as the lighting of the national Christmas tree, despite new blackout regulations. This is a more human World War II book, not of policy details, but of people trying to figure out how to proceed, with the focus on two titans of the Western Alliance (who both enjoyed a good smoke and a drink). VERDICT A chronology and maps would be helpful, but this stirring book is recommended for all history buffs and general readers interested in this human--and holiday--take on the war.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 15, 2011
A vivid 11-day account of a World War II holiday.
As in previous volumes on Christmastime during critical moments in history (General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah, 1864, 2009, etc.), prolific biographer and military historian Weintraub dramatically recaps the last week and a half of late December 1941. The author's treatment of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor centers on two "open wartime allies," Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, both united under pessimistic speculation to review global strategies. Churchill's much-ballyhooed attendance at the White House summit was beneficial yet was somewhat marred during a train trip, where he solemnly viewed Virginia's placid, colorfully lit holiday scenery, a stark contrast to his decrepit wartime British homeland. A master chronicler, Weintraub's moody, intensively researched play-by-play narrative traces the final days of 1941. Ruminations, anecdotes and creatively reimagined scenarios crisply capture all of the minute details of the time and sequences of events. Adolph Hitler's sarcasm bleeds through in dispatches of his Nazi reign of terror as Christmas Eve at the White House became a tangle of lights and red ribbon, strained public speeches by the president and prime minister and strategic second-guessing. The author brilliantly juxtaposes the horror and violence of war with the tender nostalgia of Christmas, including gift ideas where "a new Ford or Chevrolet, both soon to be unobtainable, cost $900." Weintraub cites war memoirs, military dispatches, speeches and diary entries, all to great effect, and he deftly captures the period-authentic food and dress of his subjects (including cameos by the sage, cautionary Eleanor Roosevelt) and the chaotic, edgy essence of battle.
Erudite, sweeping and contemplative--classic Weintraub.
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November 15, 2011
The devastation of the Pearl Harbor attack is, of course, burned into our national psyche. Yet the events and policies set in motion in the following weeks before the year's end were also greatly consequential in determining the course of the Allied war effort. Weintraub describes the familiar, including Japan's continued rampage across the Pacific and the epic Soviet counteroffensive that turned the Wehrmacht back from Moscow. But the heart of Weintraub's absorbing story is set in Washington, D.C. Winston Churchill, who could barely contain his glee that the U.S. was now in the war, invited himself to Washington. He did so despite subtle suggestions from both Roosevelt's staff and some of Churchill's own advisors that the Americans would prefer to let the dust settle. Instead, before he even reached our shore, Churchill engaged in a frenzy of activity as he and his aides churned out policy papers, most of which were unrealistic. Still, Weintraub shows how his meetings with the president and his staff were essential in cementing a sometimes difficult but undeniably powerful and effective alliance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)