World War II Database

Aside from the The Last Lion volumes by William Manchester/Paul Reid, most books on Winston Churchill that I had come across had focused on either his relationship with his American counterpart Franklin Roosevelt or his relationship with the military leadership. That was why I was rather excited when my local library sent me a message alerting me that Ministers at War had become available. I was not disappointed.

The author of this title, Jonathan Schneer, placed his target on Churchill's working relationship with figures such as Lord Beaverbrook Max Aitken, Lord Halifax Edward Wood, Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Stafford Cripps, and others. Through Schneer's masterful narrative, I was given a front row seat in a recounting of the friendship, cooperation, and intrigues that took place between these great political figures of modern British history. While most books often presented the war cabinet generally as a single mind, the author included the arguments that took place before some of the conclusions; at times, even Churchill's mind swayed from one day to the next, and those did not escape Schneer's attention. The arena in which these political figures struggled for power was not limited to war, but also internal matters ranging from healthcare to housing, thus making this book even more refreshing. Finally, Schneer's careful combing of the memoirs of some of these men resulted in an authoritative story.

I had reviewed this title in its audio book format. Matthew Brenher performed admirably and I had enjoyed his performance from the first word to the last.

For those with any degree of interest in politics, British or otherwise, Ministers at War would be a worthwhile read. I, for one, had not even considered how little I knew about this period of British politics until I had picked up this title. I had definitely learned a great deal through these pages.