icked this up – as usual – at the local used bookstore and it was quite the find. Never Surrender tells the history of the relationship between the British, German and French governments between World War One to World War Two, and specifically Winston Churchill’s efforts to keep England in the fight and not surrender to the fascists. Specifically, it zooms in on 1940, with the fall of France and the beginning of the Battle of Britain (when England literally stood alone). It’s quite a breathtaking time when you think about it, and how the world could have been forever changed had the timeline included either appeasement or an invasion.

Author John Kelly throws his all into this book, adding humorous little digs at historic characters with attempts to capture their human foibles. You get to see the struggle between somewhat boozy Churchill and somewhat pandering Chamberlain. Actually, Churchill’s path to power was a narrow, slippery one, and it’s not unspoken that the look-back view of the British people was one of bold commitment (not at first – with the Germans massing and the Luftwaffe overhead every day, they were scared silly and would likely have jumped at any German offer for peace). But Winston held them together, and this striking book shows how he did it.

For you history buffs, a wonderful snapshot of a time and a man. You really should look this one up. Great read that kept me going to the end.

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