April 25, 2015

Finest Hour 121, Winter 2003-04

Page 43

By Judith Mills Kambestad

Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill, A Brief Account of a Long Life, by Gretchen Rubin. Ballantine, 308 pages, $22.95. Member price $16.

Gretchen Rubin teaches at Yale Law School and School of Management. She has mined the work of other authors to compile this book and present her case in a “Churchill vs. Churchill,” pro vs. con format. In paired chapters, a positive, admirable, likeable Churchill emerges, only to be dashed by a pursuing chapter of negative rancor.

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If you read the jacket of this book, you may be inclined to buy it. It has an intriguing title, and declares it is for 21st century readers. Rubin’s only other work, Power Money Fame Sex: A User’s Guide—a very 21st century title reminding one of supermarket check-out stand headlines—may explain the author’s inclusion of lurid, attention-grabbing headings such as “Churchill the Drinker,” “Churchill the Spendthrift,” “Churchill and Sex,” and “Churchill as Husband.” I was reminded of Celia Sandys’s remark quoted in The Los Angeles Times (Calendar, July 27th): “People think, ‘Ah, if I write a book with Churchill in the title it’ll sell a few copies. But if I say something nasty about him it will—shock, horror—sell more.'”

The table of contents lists forty chapters. Why forty? Rubin tells us that historically, “forty meant many.” Some chapters are only a page or two, and some give the impression that a stretch was needed to meet the required forty.

In the introduction, the author states this is a “biography of my Churchill.” The book is casual reading—not for anyone looking for depth, power, strength or leadership, or the aura and mystique of the Man of the Millennium. Instead we have a 20th century Churchill written in 21st century-light. The “inconclusive” biography includes only the subjects that interested the author: “Dark and light, blame and praise, must both be included: only one with a thorough knowledge of Churchill’s character, even his faults, can appreciate his grandeur; only one who sees his inconsistencies can understand his hard core.” Therein lies the raison d’etre for Gretchen Rubin’s work.

The book has easy-to-read double-spaced type, some good pictures, informational lists such as people Churchill knew, quotations, a time line, a good notes section listed by page, and an extensive bibliography.

The first chapter is an excellent summary of Winston Churchill’s political accomplishments, matter-of-factly written with no embellishments and no critiques, a good valedictory summary. The second and rebuttal chapter, “Churchill as Failed Statesman,” calls WSC a “crossbreed” in the first sentence. Rubin gives his mother, Lady Randolph, no redeeming qualities, and Randolph few, which is common among authors. She dwells mostly on their disappointments, criticisms and failures. Rubin says Churchill assured the British Empire’s liquidation by throwing every possible resource into the World War II effort, leaving Britain less than a great power. What kind of a great power Britain would have been after coming to terms with Nazi Germany is not considered. The chapter closes with the dysfunction of Churchill’s family, beginning with Clementine, and then his children.

Rubin’s chapter, “Churchill’s Decisive Moment, May 28, 1940,” starts with her description of the protagonist: “short, fat, bald, with a forward stoop and jutting jaw drank constantly, cried frequently, painted pictures, didn’t get out of bed until late morning and recited poetry ” A multiple statement, and partly true; but without clarification it misleads an uninformed reader. Still, it does make good copy.

“Churchill’s Genius with Words: His Greatest Strength,” followed by a number of quotes, and “Churchill in Symbols: Metonymy”are both good reads. Rubin concludes that “his power of expression was his greatest strength,” an innocuous argument with which most would agree.

The author uses mystery writer Margery Allingham’s summation in The Oaken Heart for her three-page chapter, “Churchill, True: In a Single Word‘ for another way to look at WSC. Quoting from Shakespeare’s King John, “Naught shall make us rue, if England to itself do rest but true,” Allingham writes: “That is the basic rock, the ultimate secret belief of the instinctive Briton…” Churchill saved the country “and all was safe and true again [He is] the living incarnation of true Briton in fighting After half a century the country has got into the true with him, but it is its fighting not its normal angle.” Allingham’s idea was that the “hour” has risen to Churchill as a “fixed compass.” I found this to be the only chapter with an interesting concept—and that borrowed from a mystery writer!

In “Churchill’s Desire for Fame,” Rubin says he “lusted for honors, medals, offices, the respect of kings, a place in history he whipped up strife because he knew that being the object of attack made him a larger figure An official at the Teheran Conference commented dryly on the extravagant number of generals, admirals, and air marshals who accompanied Churchill, solely to make the Prime Minister appear more grand.” Without a corresponding chapter in rebuttal, this chapter comes across as absolute truth and bears a close resemblance to contemporary political mudslinging.

A 21 st century light must include “Churchill the Spendthrift: A Weakness’ (guilty), “Churchill and Sex: Too Interesting to Ignore” (undersexed, faithful), “Churchill as Husband: A Happy Marriage” (had, had not), “Churchill as Father: A Good Parent?‘ (was, was not), and “Churchill the Drinker: An Alcoholic?’ (was, was not). In the latter Rubin summarizes: “…given Churchill’s extraordinary accomplishments…it’s difficult to credit that dependence on alcohol in any way impaired his health or abilities.” Why bother to state what is patently obvious?

The last chapter, “My Churchill: Judgment,” reveals Churchill in “brilliant color.. .on the quarterdeck of HMS Prince of Wales, cigar in his hand.. .his powers, too strenuous for peacetime, at last suit the hour.” That’s it—no summation of previous arguments.

It is not the intention of this book to be accurate, nor has the author attempted to do much research for accuracy. Two-thirds of it treats Churchill as a man from a family with a great history, famous parents and no inherited money; as a warrior, politician, orator, writer and statesman. It is the other third that I did not like. My concern is the precedent Rubin presents. Written words, right or wrong, compiled in a style presenting them all as fact, with little effort to differentiate the settled opinion of historians from the wild accusations of sensationalists, will become a permanent part of Churchill lore.

Ms. Kambestad is a Churchill Centre Governor and director of local affairs.