Churchill and Orwell

The Fight for Freedom

By: Thomas E. Ricks

Narrated by: James Lurie

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times best seller!

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of 2017

A dual biography of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, who preserved democracy from the threats of authoritarianism, from the left and right alike.

Both George Orwell and Winston Churchill came close to death in the mid-1930s - Orwell shot in the neck in a trench line in the Spanish Civil War and Churchill struck by a car in New York City. If they'd died then, history would scarcely remember them. At the time, Churchill was a politician on the outs, his loyalty to his class and party suspect. Orwell was a mildly successful novelist, to put it generously. No one would have predicted that by the end of the 20th century they would be considered two of the most important people in British history for having the vision and courage to campaign tirelessly, in words and in deeds, against the totalitarian threat from both the left and the right. In a crucial moment, they responded first by seeking the facts of the matter, seeing through the lies and obfuscations, and then they acted on their beliefs. Together, to an extent not sufficiently appreciated, they kept the West's compass set toward freedom as its due north.

It's not easy to recall now how lonely a position both men once occupied. By the late 1930s, democracy was discredited in many circles, and authoritarian rulers were everywhere in the ascent. There were some who decried the scourge of communism but saw in Hitler and Mussolini "men we could do business with", if not in fact saviors. And there were others who saw the Nazi and fascist threat as malign but tended to view communism as the path to salvation.

Churchill and Orwell, on the other hand, had the foresight to see clearly that the issue was human freedom - that whatever its coloration, a government that denied its people basic freedoms was a totalitarian menace and had to be resisted. In the end, Churchill and Orwell proved their age's necessary men.

The glorious climax of Churchill and Orwell is the work they both did in the decade of the 1940s to triumph over freedom's enemies. And though Churchill played the larger role in the defeat of Hitler and the Axis, Orwell's reckoning with the menace of authoritarian rule in Animal Farm and 1984 would define the stakes of the Cold War for its 50-year course and continues to give inspiration to fighters for freedom to this day. Taken together, in Thomas E. Ricks' masterful hands, their lives are a beautiful testament to the power of moral conviction and to the courage it can take to stay true to it, through thick and thin.

©2017 Thomas E. Ricks (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Both subjects, he tells us in this page turner written with great brio, are 'people we still think about, people who are important not just to understanding their times but also to understanding our own.'...what comes across strongly in this highly enjoyable book is the fierce commitment of both Orwell and Churchill to critical thought." (The New York Times Book Review)

“An elegantly written celebration of two men who faced an existential crisis to their way of life with moral courage - and demonstrated that an individual can make a difference.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Readers of this book will realize, if they needed reminding, that the struggle to preserve and tell the truth is a very long game.” (Los Angeles Times)

review

I really really really really really really liked the book but we pass on the epilogue

Outstanding in all aspects.

The research done for this book is nothing short of excellence. The ability to follow both of these legends, not only chronologically, but also simultaneously is a truly amazing privilege. The authors, researchers, and the orator have my genuine thanks for allowing me such a journey.

An Effective Comparative History Lesson

This work is a well-paced and fair handling of two major figures often mischaracterized in modern accounts for petty political aims. It is a humane and fair attempt to get "at the truth of the matter" regarding their origins, shared existence, and their navigation of a time when the present was cataclysmic and the future uncertain.

The author weaves the central anti-authoritarianism thread shared by the two men into a rich lesson on the importance of the vital political center. However, this is not wielded as a blunt instrument supporting an agenda denouncing the rise of extremism in our world of 2019. How both men arrived at their conclusions as to the nature of liberty and the methods they employed to advance that privilege gives the reader authentic view outside the myopic political bubbles that society so often entrenches itself. It conveys the necessary context of their world and experience onto the reader.

I found this work to be an entertaining, often delightfully bold, and occasionally adversarial in the assumed defense of the two subjects who appear regularly in our zeitgeist. By no means are the sharper edges of their lives and strange idiosyncrasies spared. Both men are described, scarred and carrying their victories as a burden, fairly and without genuflection.

Ultimately, it provides a thoroughly rich personal introduction of the two men that would inspire readers to confidently navigate Churchill and Orwell's literary achievements with greater perspective.

Bravo!

Poignant and apt for our fraught times

Tom Ricks is a prescient and important voice for our times. I loved this book.

Best Listen of the New Year

Knew plenty about Churchill but this added many levels. Did not know much about Orwell. What a time as now for him.

a real learning experience in a unique approach

terrific non fiction
applies to today's world as well
final chapter is thought provoking
highly recommended

It rings a bell for the issues government faces today

All around great book. Research and writing are complete and flawless. Narrator does a splendid job and conveys supporting emotional content.

Great read for our times

I was not sure at first where the story was going, but it comes together forcefully. Particularly important points right up to the end!

An intelligent and gripping dual biography

Where does Churchill and Orwell rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best. This is an intelligent and gripping dual biography of arguably the most important writer and politician in the twentieth century.

What did you like best about this story?

Ricks has eloquently documented one of the most important periods in the twentieth century. I’d like to think the majority of the United States leaders are familiar with Churchill’s and Orwell’s brutal honesty and the generation that led to the creation of NATO in 1949 that has kept the peace for more than sixty-five years, but it sure doesn’t seem like it for many on the Right. It’s obvious Trump has no clue. I think everyone should read this book.

Which character – as performed by James Lurie – was your favorite?

Churchill and Orwell. Arguably the most important politician and writer in the twentieth century.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Both men were almost killed in the 1930s: Orwell while fighting for the Left in the Spanish Civil War when he was shot in the neck that missed an artery by millimeters. After he recuperated he found that Stalin had turned on the Left and Orwell barely made it out of Spain alive.

Churchill was captured in the Boer War in South Africa and made a daring escape that made him a hero in England. But it wasn’t in the battlefield where he almost died, but on the streets of New York when he was hit by a car and received serious injuries.

Any additional comments?

According to Ricks, what binds these two together the most is their dedication to getting to the truth. Orwell is now lauded as the ultimate truth teller with the ability to face unpleasant facts. Facing unpleasant facts was also one of Churchill’s greatest gift.

Vital Read for our Times

Excellent work and narration. I am taking notes as I listened and I will listen to this book again, that is how good it is!