A review by danchrist
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard

5.0

Fantastic telling of how Winston Churchill cemented the celebrity that he’d ride into a career in politics. The backstory here is rich and resonant, and the writer does well to take side trips into explaining the African people, the Boers, and much else that plays a role in the story. Much more than a run of the mill adventure yarn, it sets the stage for Churchill’s rise to Prime Minister at the beginning of World War II, for South Africa’s eventual transformation from a segregated country, and for Gandhi’s rise to prominence in India; a rich tapestry indeed.