The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
by Erik Larson
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CBS News live interview with vintage photos and WWII film footage
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Against a backdrop of vintage photos, film footage and audio clips, author Erik Larson sets the scene for his new book. He explains that a cross-country move from Seattle to New York, and a fresh understanding of how 9/11 had affected residents of NYC, inspired him to write about the “Blitz” and how it must have affected Londoners. He chose to focus on only one year of Churchill’s life, beginning with the day he became Prime Minister.
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In this brief video, author Erik Larson answers some of the questions most frequently asked about his book. The questions cover what the book is about, his goals for the book, and what he may have learned about Churchill during the research and writing process. Having lived in the U.S. during 9/11, he likens the 1940/41 German bombing campaign against London to 57 consecutive 9/11s, bringing alive for Americans what Londoners suffered during this period.
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In-depth author interview with Slate in video call format
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The author sets vivid scenes of Churchill’s leadership, from working in bed or in the bathtub with a cigar and tumbler of whiskey to his speech writing methods and his affinity for the technology of the times. Larson also relates moments of fear and triumph by individual citizens, some chronicled by a diary-writing campaign called “Mass Observation” that had ordinary citizens chronicle their daily lives. The interview sketches, with both broad strokes and fine detail, the lives of Londoners in 1940/41.
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Other books by Erik Larson
Publications
The New York Times: How Churchill Brought Britain Back From the Brink
The Washington Post: Winston Churchill and the power of English myth
National Public Radio: Churchill's 1st Year As Prime Minister Is Electric In 'The Splendid And The Vile'
The Times: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson review — blood, toil, tears and bombs
The Washington Times: Churchill's first year in office with a London under siege
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