Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

My book for September was Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard. Janie mentioned this book when she, Sharon and I were having dinner. I have read two other books by the author, including Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President and River of Doubt. River of Doubt is one of my favorite books.

The book has four interlocking story lines. First, it provides an overview of Winston Churchill's early life. Second, the story looks at the history of the Boers in South Africa. Third, it follows the events of the second Boer war with the English; this war took place between October 1899 and May 1902. Finally, the book tells the story of Churchill's capture, internment as a prisoner of war and escape.

After slogging through a couple of books this year, I really enjoyed this book. It does an excellent job of weaving together all of the different storylines.