Description
Book Synopsis'Rich and rewarding' Wall Street Journal
It is impossible to understand the last 75 years of British and American history without understanding the Anglo-American relationship, and specifically the bonds between presidents and prime ministers. FDR of course had Churchill; JFK famously had Macmillan, his consigliere during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Reagan found his ideological soul mate in Thatcher, and George W. Bush found his fellow believer, in religion and in war, in Tony Blair.
In a series of shrewd and absorbing character studies, Ian Buruma takes the reader on a journey through the special relationship via the fateful bonds between president and prime minister. It's never been a relationship of equals: from Churchill's desperate cajoling and conniving to keep FDR on side, British prime ministers have put much more stock in the relationship than their US counterparts did. For Britain, resigned to the loss of its once-great empire, its close kinship to the world's greatest superpower would give it continued relevance, and serve as leverage to keep continental Europe in its place. As Buruma shows, this was almost always fool's gold.
And now, as the links between the Brexit vote and the 2016 US election are coming into sharper focus, it is impossible to understand the populist uprising in either country without reference to Trump and Boris Johnson, though ironically, they are also the key, Buruma argues, to understanding the special relationship's demise.
Trade ReviewStimulating and highly readable... A rich and rewarding book, the best overview that exists of Anglo-American relations from Churchill-FDR to the "bromance" between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. * Wall Street Journal *
Well-written...
A good popular history and one that does not pull its punches. -- Piers Brendon * Literary Review *
This concise, all-knowing study of the "special relationship" between Britain and the States pinpoints many recurring themes. * Edmund White, 'Books of the Year', TLS *
A smart, lively political history that illuminates the changing relations of two decidedly unequal partners. * Kirkus Reviews *
[A] brisk and insightful history. . . . Buruma writes fluidly and paints vivid sketches of key figures and moments.
Political history buffs will be fascinated. * Publishers Weekly *
Fans of Buruma's works, political analysis, and Churchill's legacy will find much to discover here. * Library Journal *
Table of Contents1: UNDER THE SIGN OF VICTORY 2: BLOOD AND HISTORY 3: THE EMPIRE IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE 4: THE ROAD TO SUEZ 5: AN ANGLO-AMERICAN BOND 6: THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP 7: TO EUROPE AND BACK 8: AN EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONSHIP 9: KINDER, GENTLER 10: TOO MUCH CONVICTION 11: THE FINEST MOMENT 12: AFTER THE CRASH 13: GRAND ILLUSIONS
