Thursday 20 May 2010

Dear Winnie

Dear Winnie,

I've been reading you for a while now (Winston Churchill and his epic 6 volume series on World War 2), and you know what, Winnie?  

You are dry.  And I am only about a quarter of the way through book one. David McCullough you are not.

I know that if I move forward through this first part about what happened between the wars, it will be better.  Once you get to the battles, history becomes a little more interesting.  Then, history has stories of pithy details, of individual braveness, of heroics, of behind the scenes.  There is movement and there is grand victory and there is huge and desperate loss.

It is easy, Winnie, to read the history of things when it is exciting. But maybe Winnie, just maybe if you made this first part, these details of how political avoidance of  the task at hand, how the desire to keep the electorate on their side, and the wish to placate without resolution, made the second World War happen.  Maybe just maybe if more people thought this part was as exciting as the battles were, then maybe, just maybe, we wouldn't be making the same mistake over and over again.  

I know Winnie, that if you were here now, you would  tell me hush up.  Read it any way.  It is good for me, but I just have to say, Winnie, it is dry.  Really dry. 

1 comment:

Mrs.Spit said...

Winst. has that ability.

The stuff between the wars is actually really interesting. Churchill without a glass of brandy (or 5) and a cigar in his mouth . ..
is not.