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Winston Churchill Reporting: Adventures of a Young War Correspondent
Combat, cigars, and whiskey—from the jungles of Cuba and the mountains of the Northwest Frontier, to the banks of the Nile and the plains of South Africa, comes this action-packed tale of Winston Churchill’s adventures as a war correspondent in the Age of Empire.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2015
12 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Simon Read
26 books42 followersI'm the author of nine non-fiction books published on both sides of the Atlantic. Hachette will release my next book, THE IRON SEA, in November.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading (naturally), messing about on the piano, listening to classic British rock, and searching for good English pubs (I live in Arizona, where such drinking establishments can sometimes be hard to find).
Please feel free to check out my website or visit me on Twitter.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading (naturally), messing about on the piano, listening to classic British rock, and searching for good English pubs (I live in Arizona, where such drinking establishments can sometimes be hard to find).
Please feel free to check out my website or visit me on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 13, 2016
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
Most of us know Winston Churchill as the rotund, elderly leader of Great Britain during the tumultuous years of World War Two; but this remarkable man had a long and varied career before that, including being a war correspondent at the end of the Victorian Age who reported from such far-flung battlefields as Cuba, India, Egypt, Afghanistan and South Africa. As historian Simon Read points out in his new book Winston Churchill Reporting, there's never been a full-length book this entire time that's been devoted just to this part of Churchill's life alone; and that's too bad, because as Read's lively, action-packed account shows, the twenty-something Churchill led a life in the late 1800s worthy of an Indiana Jones adventure, getting into the kinds of scrapes and charging through the middle of the kinds of massive battles that would be scarcely believable if it all wasn't so heavily documented by multiple sources.
The son of an aristocrat, the young Churchill was actually in the British army himself in those years, although assigned to one of those largely ceremonial divisions like so many other members of the aristocracy were back then (his regiment was mostly only known for being international polo champions); but seeking fame, glory and adventure, he essentially (with the aid of his blue-blood mother) begged anyone who would listen to send him out where the actual action was, eventually realizing that he could put his writing skills from school to good use and become a free-floating war correspondent, able to be assigned willy-nilly to whatever British Empire hotspots happened to be seeing the most fighting on any given year, and happily joining in the fighting while there himself. This led Churchill through a whole series of adventures, not least of which was getting captured as a prisoner during the Second Boer War in South Africa, then actually escaping his POW camp by trekking across enemy territory for three days and eventually hiding in a mine, and somehow managing to telegraph updates on his own escape to the British newspapers in real time through the help of British sympathizers (a fact that blew me away when reading about it here), turning him instantly into a national celebrity back home and providing the kick that let him finally win his first election to public office, an event that he built and built upon until eventually becoming Prime Minister forty years later.
Read conveys it all through the unusual style of an action novel instead of the usual academic history book, a gutsy move that could've badly backfired on him; but in this case it works perfectly, in that there is just such an overwhelming amount of recorded evidence still around about Churchill's very personal thoughts and opinions about this period of his life, allowing Read to portray him like a swashbuckling hero with conflicted inner thoughts about warfare precisely because Churchill actually was a swashbuckling hero with conflicted inner thoughts about warfare. A lively and incredibly fast-paced book, this will be a revelation to people like me who only knew Churchill as the balding, stogie-chewing curmudgeon of 1940s fame, and it comes strongly recommended to the general public.
Out of 10: 9.5
Most of us know Winston Churchill as the rotund, elderly leader of Great Britain during the tumultuous years of World War Two; but this remarkable man had a long and varied career before that, including being a war correspondent at the end of the Victorian Age who reported from such far-flung battlefields as Cuba, India, Egypt, Afghanistan and South Africa. As historian Simon Read points out in his new book Winston Churchill Reporting, there's never been a full-length book this entire time that's been devoted just to this part of Churchill's life alone; and that's too bad, because as Read's lively, action-packed account shows, the twenty-something Churchill led a life in the late 1800s worthy of an Indiana Jones adventure, getting into the kinds of scrapes and charging through the middle of the kinds of massive battles that would be scarcely believable if it all wasn't so heavily documented by multiple sources.
The son of an aristocrat, the young Churchill was actually in the British army himself in those years, although assigned to one of those largely ceremonial divisions like so many other members of the aristocracy were back then (his regiment was mostly only known for being international polo champions); but seeking fame, glory and adventure, he essentially (with the aid of his blue-blood mother) begged anyone who would listen to send him out where the actual action was, eventually realizing that he could put his writing skills from school to good use and become a free-floating war correspondent, able to be assigned willy-nilly to whatever British Empire hotspots happened to be seeing the most fighting on any given year, and happily joining in the fighting while there himself. This led Churchill through a whole series of adventures, not least of which was getting captured as a prisoner during the Second Boer War in South Africa, then actually escaping his POW camp by trekking across enemy territory for three days and eventually hiding in a mine, and somehow managing to telegraph updates on his own escape to the British newspapers in real time through the help of British sympathizers (a fact that blew me away when reading about it here), turning him instantly into a national celebrity back home and providing the kick that let him finally win his first election to public office, an event that he built and built upon until eventually becoming Prime Minister forty years later.
Read conveys it all through the unusual style of an action novel instead of the usual academic history book, a gutsy move that could've badly backfired on him; but in this case it works perfectly, in that there is just such an overwhelming amount of recorded evidence still around about Churchill's very personal thoughts and opinions about this period of his life, allowing Read to portray him like a swashbuckling hero with conflicted inner thoughts about warfare precisely because Churchill actually was a swashbuckling hero with conflicted inner thoughts about warfare. A lively and incredibly fast-paced book, this will be a revelation to people like me who only knew Churchill as the balding, stogie-chewing curmudgeon of 1940s fame, and it comes strongly recommended to the general public.
Out of 10: 9.5
August 26, 2018
I always admired Winston Churchill. A man that made decisions based on what he believed in. A politician from a by-gone era, a defined non-populist, who said things that he believed in, and not what his audience or his electorate wanted to hear. But Simon Road describes a part of Winston Churchill's life that I knew very little about. The part where a young man, obviously privileged but not quite satisfied with the name and given status, struggles to gain a place in history that would be his own.
The academic record of young Winston is not exactly brilliant. Although intelligent and always interested in history and writing, he hated school, and made an unruly student. His father, clearly disappointed with his sons absence of academic excellence, decided that he should instead pursue a career in the military. If anybody had asked Winston himself what he thought of prolonged stays in army barracks, he’d probably say it wasn’t his first choice, but then again those weren’t the times when sons questioned fathers decisions. Winston wanted interesting and challenging partners for discussion, interesting things to happen and above all, he yearned for a way to ”make name for himself”, so he accepted his father's choice, and got busy with changing his circumstances so that they were more to his liking.
Thanks to his writing skills he could secure a contract for a number of dispatches from the front lines. Changing his destination from what suited the War Office to what suited Winston Churchill was a bit more complicated but then again what are the family connections for… And then the adventures could begin.
He went to Cuba, Sudan, India and South Africa. He observed, and wrote of what he saw and experienced, and sent his dispatches back home, gaining a wide circle of readers. Stubborn, currages and not hesitating to put himself on the line when situation demanded it, young Churchill was probably not the person that everybody loved or appreciated. On the other hand being loved wasn’t the point. He felt that he had something to give and not rested until he created circumstances that allowed him to do just that.
It was fascinating, this passenger seat view of the situations that formed a great man. The experiences that formed qualities that later on, will be so characteristic of the man that lead England through the difficult times of the war. Ayoung man, that I just read about, is unmistakably Winston Churchill, but not quite ready made yet. His place in history not yet granted, but just in the process of setting up the scene for becoming the man that we know from history books.
It is no coincidence that the books subtitle is ”The adventures” of young war correspondent. This early period of Churchill’s life could easily fit into a film or a series. There is this slightly Indiana Jones’que quality to it, the hero that has a tendency to find himself always where the action is. Simon Read in the introduction says that he hopes his readers will have as much fun reading as he had writing, which stroke me as an odd thing to say at a time, but now that I read it, I have to admit that I certainly did have fun!
The academic record of young Winston is not exactly brilliant. Although intelligent and always interested in history and writing, he hated school, and made an unruly student. His father, clearly disappointed with his sons absence of academic excellence, decided that he should instead pursue a career in the military. If anybody had asked Winston himself what he thought of prolonged stays in army barracks, he’d probably say it wasn’t his first choice, but then again those weren’t the times when sons questioned fathers decisions. Winston wanted interesting and challenging partners for discussion, interesting things to happen and above all, he yearned for a way to ”make name for himself”, so he accepted his father's choice, and got busy with changing his circumstances so that they were more to his liking.
Thanks to his writing skills he could secure a contract for a number of dispatches from the front lines. Changing his destination from what suited the War Office to what suited Winston Churchill was a bit more complicated but then again what are the family connections for… And then the adventures could begin.
He went to Cuba, Sudan, India and South Africa. He observed, and wrote of what he saw and experienced, and sent his dispatches back home, gaining a wide circle of readers. Stubborn, currages and not hesitating to put himself on the line when situation demanded it, young Churchill was probably not the person that everybody loved or appreciated. On the other hand being loved wasn’t the point. He felt that he had something to give and not rested until he created circumstances that allowed him to do just that.
It was fascinating, this passenger seat view of the situations that formed a great man. The experiences that formed qualities that later on, will be so characteristic of the man that lead England through the difficult times of the war. Ayoung man, that I just read about, is unmistakably Winston Churchill, but not quite ready made yet. His place in history not yet granted, but just in the process of setting up the scene for becoming the man that we know from history books.
It is no coincidence that the books subtitle is ”The adventures” of young war correspondent. This early period of Churchill’s life could easily fit into a film or a series. There is this slightly Indiana Jones’que quality to it, the hero that has a tendency to find himself always where the action is. Simon Read in the introduction says that he hopes his readers will have as much fun reading as he had writing, which stroke me as an odd thing to say at a time, but now that I read it, I have to admit that I certainly did have fun!
July 5, 2016
If there ever was a man who in his early and mid 20's grasped every preparation for being a prime leader during his 60's within a world war survival race, it was Winston Churchill. It seems he believed in his role and in his destiny.
This book takes you only into those earliest years until 1900. It ends when he is 26. By then Winston did more, experienced more danger, and followed his own plan for what he wanted to "do next"- possibly to such a degree! In comparison to other prominent historical figures of long biographical study and millennia regard. Possibly Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great in their earliest forays?
This tale is bloody and researched within immense detail. The correspondence assignments he finagled through association for his name, his mother's societal efforts, and just plain leaving one place and showing up at another (be they 300 or 3000 miles apart) are just context hard to believe for our current understanding of soldiering in any phase, especially within "Cavalry" designation.
The voyages, the fronts of war, the pure adrenaline junkie habit of jumping from one boiling pot to another explosive bonfire! The Northwest Indian territory/ Afghanistan Pashtun ferocity horrors were as strong in the last years of the 1890's as they are now. And the other wars, especially the Boer War. With body after body dropping around him. And his largest abhorrence was for status boredom. No Ladysmith or Indian status admins job for him.
This is not a read I could say that I enjoyed. But I read every word. Brutal, brutal wounds and outcomes. Being taken prisoner and keeping his "correspondence" category. Escaping. His poor mother! Also if you are offended by English Empire loyalty, non-PC talk and thinking to a realistic degree that is stark- this book is also probably not for you.
So many quotes I could put from this book. But instead I'll put some of my own favorites that are pure Winston.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
And he looked for hell purposely. He knew he had to know all about hell in order to lead.
And he meant this, just didn't say it in speechifying- he lived it:
"The salvation of the common people of every race and of every land from war or servitude must be guarded by the readiness of all men and women to die rather than submit to tyranny."
This book takes you only into those earliest years until 1900. It ends when he is 26. By then Winston did more, experienced more danger, and followed his own plan for what he wanted to "do next"- possibly to such a degree! In comparison to other prominent historical figures of long biographical study and millennia regard. Possibly Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great in their earliest forays?
This tale is bloody and researched within immense detail. The correspondence assignments he finagled through association for his name, his mother's societal efforts, and just plain leaving one place and showing up at another (be they 300 or 3000 miles apart) are just context hard to believe for our current understanding of soldiering in any phase, especially within "Cavalry" designation.
The voyages, the fronts of war, the pure adrenaline junkie habit of jumping from one boiling pot to another explosive bonfire! The Northwest Indian territory/ Afghanistan Pashtun ferocity horrors were as strong in the last years of the 1890's as they are now. And the other wars, especially the Boer War. With body after body dropping around him. And his largest abhorrence was for status boredom. No Ladysmith or Indian status admins job for him.
This is not a read I could say that I enjoyed. But I read every word. Brutal, brutal wounds and outcomes. Being taken prisoner and keeping his "correspondence" category. Escaping. His poor mother! Also if you are offended by English Empire loyalty, non-PC talk and thinking to a realistic degree that is stark- this book is also probably not for you.
So many quotes I could put from this book. But instead I'll put some of my own favorites that are pure Winston.
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life."
And he looked for hell purposely. He knew he had to know all about hell in order to lead.
And he meant this, just didn't say it in speechifying- he lived it:
"The salvation of the common people of every race and of every land from war or servitude must be guarded by the readiness of all men and women to die rather than submit to tyranny."
February 20, 2024
Winston Churchill had a career as a war correspondent covering Britain's colonial wars in India, Egypt. and South Africa. He was a brave man who was in the thick of the action but a British Imperialist who advocated colonialism. Churchill could give the reader an exciting account of a war that was fought for domination of the British over rivals like the Boers and Pashtun tribesman in the Swat valley. Mark Twain had an issue with the British war with the Boer Orange and Transvaal states which he saw as one for resources like gold and diamonds and an end to an obstacle to South African domination. Other than that this book was an interesting read.
October 11, 2015
An enlightening look at the pre-political career of one of Britain's greatest leaders. This book takes us back to the late 1800s when Churchill was an officer in the British calvary, and a well known war correspondent.
Beginning with the pedigree of his parents this book takes us through his childhood and the issues between him and his father, a matter of pride that would not be resolved before the elder Churchill's death. Following his father's death Winston finally achieved academic success and began a notable military career.
His first foray into journalism resulted from a desire for adventure and a need for financial independence. Reporting on the revolution in Cuba Churchill first got his taste of combat, something he would experience no less than 50 times during his lifetime.
Deployment to India, along with political wrangling, ensured that he saw action in the North-West campaign (Afghanistan) and in Sudan. Both conflicts which produced successful books from the young writer.
His true test of fire would be during the Boer war, which he initially entered as a civilian, having resigned his commission. Following a harrowing experience during which he was taken prisoner, he achieved escape, returning once more to conflict, have resumed a military career. The total of his experiences catapulted his political career which began upon his return to Britain.
As a fan of Churchill I found this to be a highly interesting read, but acknowledge a feeling of glorification by the author, who seems reluctant to criticize Churchill. That being said, this is clearly a must read for Churchill fans.
Beginning with the pedigree of his parents this book takes us through his childhood and the issues between him and his father, a matter of pride that would not be resolved before the elder Churchill's death. Following his father's death Winston finally achieved academic success and began a notable military career.
His first foray into journalism resulted from a desire for adventure and a need for financial independence. Reporting on the revolution in Cuba Churchill first got his taste of combat, something he would experience no less than 50 times during his lifetime.
Deployment to India, along with political wrangling, ensured that he saw action in the North-West campaign (Afghanistan) and in Sudan. Both conflicts which produced successful books from the young writer.
His true test of fire would be during the Boer war, which he initially entered as a civilian, having resigned his commission. Following a harrowing experience during which he was taken prisoner, he achieved escape, returning once more to conflict, have resumed a military career. The total of his experiences catapulted his political career which began upon his return to Britain.
As a fan of Churchill I found this to be a highly interesting read, but acknowledge a feeling of glorification by the author, who seems reluctant to criticize Churchill. That being said, this is clearly a must read for Churchill fans.
June 5, 2025
A great read that covers many components of Churchill’s early adventures that are often glossed over.
It reads more like a fictional adventure novel than a biographical history. I highly recommend it for those interested in Churchill.
It reads more like a fictional adventure novel than a biographical history. I highly recommend it for those interested in Churchill.
June 22, 2016
As a student of history, I am well aware of Winston Churchill the historian, statesman, First Lord of the Admiralty, Prime Minister, warrior... but I didn't realize he wrote as a war correspondent. If this book were the whole story of Winston Churchill, he'd be an impressive historical figure. By the end of the book, I was left slack jawed. As a young soldier, Churchill took extended leaves in order to work as a war correspondent.
Through a study of Churchill's journalism, letters, official military accounts, diary and journal entries and other documents, Read tells the story of Churchill's role as both a soldier and reporter in 4 major world conflicts before his 25th birthday. After several freelance newspaper contracts and adventures, Churchill's requests for leaves from the service are refused. So, he leaves the service and goes out as a reporter. In this role, he is no less a soldier, fighting, directing troupes and even being taken prisoner in a battle in South Africa.
From a brief early biographical sketch to Churchill's success as a best selling author at 25, Read tells a comprehensive story with all the details of battle, capture, escape and adventure Churchill lives. The book is well written, as exciting to read as any fiction and absolutely amazing. If you think you know Churchill but haven't studied his war correspondent years, this one is a must. If you thought history was boring, this has more action than most fictional accounts of war. Very good read.
Through a study of Churchill's journalism, letters, official military accounts, diary and journal entries and other documents, Read tells the story of Churchill's role as both a soldier and reporter in 4 major world conflicts before his 25th birthday. After several freelance newspaper contracts and adventures, Churchill's requests for leaves from the service are refused. So, he leaves the service and goes out as a reporter. In this role, he is no less a soldier, fighting, directing troupes and even being taken prisoner in a battle in South Africa.
From a brief early biographical sketch to Churchill's success as a best selling author at 25, Read tells a comprehensive story with all the details of battle, capture, escape and adventure Churchill lives. The book is well written, as exciting to read as any fiction and absolutely amazing. If you think you know Churchill but haven't studied his war correspondent years, this one is a must. If you thought history was boring, this has more action than most fictional accounts of war. Very good read.
January 21, 2024
Many years ago, I worked with Simon Read in a newspaper office. I regret not having read any of his books until now. This is a fast-paced military adventure in addition to being about two of my favorite topics — journalism, and the formative years of history's great leaders.
Winston Churchill was born into nobility but not wealth. So his father's name and lordship opened doors and won plum assignments for him (if you can call being shipped off to grim battles in stifling heat a plum assignment), but he also had to struggle to make enough money.
As a child, he played with epic sets of toy soldiers, then eagerly took that "game of war" mentality into a first military escapade in Cuba. But later misadventures in south Asia and Africa opened his eyes to the horrors of war, although he never dismissed them as futile, and continued to support Britain's imperial aims.
More broadly, the book is also a fascinating glimpse into the English mindset at the peak of its empire. And in addition to the well-researched and detailed war narrative, Read weaves in some interesting analysis and foreshadowing of Churchill's far greater challenges to come.
I think my only complaint would be that I would have liked to see more direct quotes from Churchill's journalistic reports, but I am guessing that Read assumed (correctly) that we could all find those writings for ourselves.
Winston Churchill was born into nobility but not wealth. So his father's name and lordship opened doors and won plum assignments for him (if you can call being shipped off to grim battles in stifling heat a plum assignment), but he also had to struggle to make enough money.
As a child, he played with epic sets of toy soldiers, then eagerly took that "game of war" mentality into a first military escapade in Cuba. But later misadventures in south Asia and Africa opened his eyes to the horrors of war, although he never dismissed them as futile, and continued to support Britain's imperial aims.
More broadly, the book is also a fascinating glimpse into the English mindset at the peak of its empire. And in addition to the well-researched and detailed war narrative, Read weaves in some interesting analysis and foreshadowing of Churchill's far greater challenges to come.
I think my only complaint would be that I would have liked to see more direct quotes from Churchill's journalistic reports, but I am guessing that Read assumed (correctly) that we could all find those writings for ourselves.
December 1, 2015
Like most folks I suppose, what I knew about Winston Churchill's early years as a journalist "covering" skirmishes and wars in Cuba, India, and South Africa was very, very limted, a mere footnote in my knowledge about Churchill. Although long lost in the depths of my brain, Read's book did remind me of Churchill's involvement in the Boer Wars.
Read brings to life an incredibly exciting period for Churchill's (1895-1900), when Churchill's trademark character traits, of which most of us are familiar, develop and flourish. This includes his relentless drive, courage, steadfastness, and single-mindedness.
Kudos to Read on a wonderful work of non-fiction, that reads like a riveting novel.
Read brings to life an incredibly exciting period for Churchill's (1895-1900), when Churchill's trademark character traits, of which most of us are familiar, develop and flourish. This includes his relentless drive, courage, steadfastness, and single-mindedness.
Kudos to Read on a wonderful work of non-fiction, that reads like a riveting novel.
June 28, 2025
This was the second Churchill biography that I've read within recent years. Like the other, I find there is something strange about biographies about Winston Churchill - they all seem to have some acknowledgement that he was a deeply flawed man, but while the authors accept this, they tend to dismiss it, or give it no weight.
Simon Read offers a novel biography of Churchill by focusing on his younger years and his work as a reporter and writer. Churchill's travels brings him from Cuba, to northwestern India, Sudan, and South Africa.
It is difficult not to read between the lines to see Churchill has a selfish, arrogant, and ambitious person. He used his work for newspapers to grow his name recognition and prestige. I found that there was a bit of cognitive dissonance reading about Churchill's coverage of these conflicts. He seemed to be wrestling with the cost and damage imperialism wrought on subject peoples, perhaps even sympathizing with them. However, in the end, he seemed to take no steps to act on these revelations. Despite seeing the harms Spanish and British imperialism caused, he seemed content to express support for the status quo overall.
I think I struggle with biographies of Churchill because there seems to be an implicit need to celebrate the man and build him up as a hero, even when the words on the page would suggest otherwise.
The book is definitely interesting for those supporters of Churchill, but those more critical will likely only be frustrated.
Simon Read offers a novel biography of Churchill by focusing on his younger years and his work as a reporter and writer. Churchill's travels brings him from Cuba, to northwestern India, Sudan, and South Africa.
It is difficult not to read between the lines to see Churchill has a selfish, arrogant, and ambitious person. He used his work for newspapers to grow his name recognition and prestige. I found that there was a bit of cognitive dissonance reading about Churchill's coverage of these conflicts. He seemed to be wrestling with the cost and damage imperialism wrought on subject peoples, perhaps even sympathizing with them. However, in the end, he seemed to take no steps to act on these revelations. Despite seeing the harms Spanish and British imperialism caused, he seemed content to express support for the status quo overall.
I think I struggle with biographies of Churchill because there seems to be an implicit need to celebrate the man and build him up as a hero, even when the words on the page would suggest otherwise.
The book is definitely interesting for those supporters of Churchill, but those more critical will likely only be frustrated.
March 3, 2025
This is the story of a young (ages 20 - 25) Winston Churchill between 1895 - 1902 or so. He was trained as a soldier, but before his unit got around to any actual fighting, he took several leaves of absence from military service to go to various actual British fighting scenes as a war correspondent. He used the money and experience to begin amassing some wealth by selling his war dispatches and the subsequent 3 books he wrote about his experiences.
His war correspondence duties took him first to Cuba, then north of the Indian border, the Sudan in Africa, and finally the Boer wars in South Africa. Along the way, he became a captured POW, but escaped and had several other close calls with death where people all around him were killed or maimed, but he walked away with barely a scratch.
Once his name was established, he embarked on a political career, switched parties and back again, briefly fought in WWI, was politically disgraced, but came back to accurately predict the rise of Hitler - and became Prime Minister during WWII. The premise of the book is that his adventures, courage, and fearlessness were forged during his very young adult years - which led directly to his political rise later.
His war correspondence duties took him first to Cuba, then north of the Indian border, the Sudan in Africa, and finally the Boer wars in South Africa. Along the way, he became a captured POW, but escaped and had several other close calls with death where people all around him were killed or maimed, but he walked away with barely a scratch.
Once his name was established, he embarked on a political career, switched parties and back again, briefly fought in WWI, was politically disgraced, but came back to accurately predict the rise of Hitler - and became Prime Minister during WWII. The premise of the book is that his adventures, courage, and fearlessness were forged during his very young adult years - which led directly to his political rise later.
December 19, 2018
This book was an absolutely wonderful read. I really loved how it read like a story, than a biography. It encapsulated the youth of Winston Churchill, and all his adventures. It gives you in clear detail all that he went through, and made you feel like you were by Churchill's side throughout his life.
I truly admire Churchill, I think he is wonderful man, with so much wisdom, and unlimited determination. That is so inspiring.
This book was well researched and very well written. If you want to get to know Winston, this is the book to start with.
I truly admire Churchill, I think he is wonderful man, with so much wisdom, and unlimited determination. That is so inspiring.
This book was well researched and very well written. If you want to get to know Winston, this is the book to start with.
September 21, 2020
Purchase Winston Churchill Reporting here for just $12!
Covering Winston Churchill's early days as a young man, no Churchill buff will be complete without it. This book takes you along for a ride, being privy to amazing adventures in Churchill's life. Aways interesting, full of great moments and quotes.
Elisa, Book Grocer
Covering Winston Churchill's early days as a young man, no Churchill buff will be complete without it. This book takes you along for a ride, being privy to amazing adventures in Churchill's life. Aways interesting, full of great moments and quotes.
Elisa, Book Grocer
February 8, 2023
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A fascinating read that - aside from a few brief epilogue paragraphs sketching in some detail of Churchill's illustrious later years - deals exclusively with the war correspondent years, charting the rise of Winston Churchill from his first combat foray in Cuba, across the Northwest Frontier, to the Sudan with Lord Kitchener to avenge Gordon, and his many exploits in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Very readable, very interesting.
July 19, 2017
Well-researched and -written. I definitely learned things about Churchill I never knew, especially since that part of his life is so rarely covered.
January 30, 2018
Book is good, but not great.
December 19, 2018
This book was an absolute wonderful read. It went so fluidly, and read like a fiction story. You come to truly admire Churchill. Full of determination and life spirit. Amazing book.
January 24, 2024
Super book about Churchills early life. Exiting and factual 10/10 would recommend.
March 20, 2017
Very interesting and well written. I wasn't too keen about the fighting sections.
September 11, 2025
What a fun book! Read covers a lesser known chapter of Winston Churchill's life, and really captures the type of man that he was and how his experiences as a young man shaped how he would see and lead the world through a very dark period of time. Read focuses heavily on this aspect, and often connects Winston's experiences to his own published views later on in his life as well as how he was perceived by others. Read writes in a way such that he is telling a very engaging and highly entertaining story, but he also takes the time to note important details and analyze certain parts of Winston's personality and views. A must-read for any Winston Churchill admirer or critic.
February 12, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, reading about Churchill's early exploits as a soldier and a war correspondent during the Boer War. It gives insight into the shaping of his attitude about war, the enemy, and his character. Fascinating read. I highly recommend it to anyone who has followed Churchill's life as prime minister and political leader of the Allies during WW2.
March 14, 2016
Churchill's life, especially before 25, was more adventurous than any fictionalized version could be. Four wars, five books, then elected to parliament and a world speaking tour. Whew!
April 23, 2017
I like this book mainly for it's subject matter. I was completely unaware of Winston Churchill's pre-World War I career. It was a big surprise that he cut his teeth as a war reporter in many of the British Empire's turn of the century colonial wars.
He treats Churchill fairly for the most part, and he comes through as somewhat dislikable. Overall good account of Winston Churchill's formative years.
He treats Churchill fairly for the most part, and he comes through as somewhat dislikable. Overall good account of Winston Churchill's formative years.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews