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Book Summary

The Splendid and the Vile

15 min

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Brief Summary

Churchill’s steady leadership and resolve helped enable the UK to stand strong against the Nazis, despite untold levels of destruction and suffering caused by continuous, aggressive air raids. Churchill was committed to enlisting American aid for the war, and his resilience paid off when Roosevelt committed his support at the end of 1940. In the summer of 1941, Hitler decided to open a two-front war by launching Operation Barbarossa in the east, which ended the threat of a Nazi invasion of England. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, the US officially joined the war, and Churchill believed the Allies’ ultimate victory over the Nazis was secured.

About the Author

Erik Larson is a journalist and bestselling nonfiction author. Six of his books have been named on the New York Times bestseller list. The Devil in the White City was a National Book Award finalist and a Hulu series adaptation of the book is in the works. Previously, Larson was a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal. His work has also appeared in Time Magazine, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and Harper’s.

Larson has taught nonfiction writing at San Francisco State, the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and the University of Oregon. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Larson lives in Manhattan with his wife and three daughters.

Topics

Biography & Memoir

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