Blood, toil, tears and sweat : the dire warning /

Churchill was Britain's prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955 and led the nation through World War II. On May 13, 1940, he gave his first speech before the House of Commons, three days after Germany invaded France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In his now-famous speech, he said, I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat.   Lukacs, a history professor with more than 20 books to his credit, posits that beneath Churchill's bravery lay his understanding of a looming catastrophe, still unimaginable to most: that it was probably too late, and that Adolf Hitler was close to winning the war. In this lucidly written history, the author tells of Churchill's determination to succeed in defeating Hitler, his nine secret sessions with the War Cabinet, and the British army's defeat at Dunkirk. Lukacs has captured this moment in history with meticulous precision.--Cohen, George Copyright 2008 Booklist

In this brief essay, historian Lukacs (Winston Churchill) examines a single sentence from one of Winston Churchill's most memorable speeches and his first as prime minister during World War II. In the process, Lukacs evokes the temper of a time when the fate of humankind hung in the balance. Churchill made this moving speech on May 13, 1940. The German mechanized legions were pushing through France, and England's "Darkest Hour" was beginning. Lukacs stresses that this speech, with its famous words, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat," was given to the assembled Parliament and heard only by Churchill's colleagues there. Yet it captured the grim resolve that resonated throughout Great Britain, and when Churchill's words were reported, the British knew they were in a fight to the death--and that Churchill was the man to lead them. Lukacs is an unabashed Churchill admirer, but he is also a highly regarded historian whose work on the early phases of World War II is prolific and influential. This work may be a paean to Churchill, but it is also a perceptive analysis of a seminal moment in world history. Although there are many books on Churchill's speeches, e.g., Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: Winston Churchill's Famous Speeches, edited by David Cannadine, this concise essay should be in every Churchill collection.--Jim Doyle, Rome, GA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.