Author:Niall Barr
In the mid-twentieth century the relationship between America and Britain had a chequered past. Theirs was a history of protection and oppression, of rebellion and ultimately war. But then the shared crisis of the Second World War brought Britain and America closer than ever before or since, and saw an unprecedented level of military cooperation. How was such a radical shift possible?
To uncover how this historically fraught relationship recovered from its inauspicious start, Niall Barr goes back to the origins of their shared military history in the American War of Independence and shows how these early days had ramifications for the later crucial alliance.
Picking up the tale with America’s entry into the Second World War, Niall Barr tells the story of these two armies as they fought in the largest war in history, from the uppermost echelons of the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt right down to battlefield level and the soldiers fighting side by side for a common cause.
Well crafted and absorbing book.
—— Marcus Tanner , IndependentHis account of the Allies fighting in Italy in 1943 and 1944 is harrowing.
—— Sinclair McKay , TelegraphCrisp and provocative, and shoots down more than a few cherished generalisations.
—— Brian Morton , Herald ScotlandIs it really possible to get down to the reality of those tumultuous years after all this time to assess what actually happened and how the Alliance worked? Niall Barr proves the answer is a resounding ‘yes’ and he does it with style.
—— Mark Barnes , War History OnlineDeeply researched, sophisticated treatment of an apparently familiar subject.
—— Gary Sheffield , BBC History MagazineBarr has dealt with this remarkably complex relationship with considerable skill and he outlines the historic causes of tension very effectively.
—— David Murphy , Irish TimesAs impeccably researched, insightfully observed and superbly written as its bestselling predecessors
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday ExpressIf there's one thing that sets Beevor apart from other historians - beyond his gifts as a storyteller - it's that he is not afraid to look at the most uncomfortable, even frightening subjects, but does so in a way that doesn't threaten the reader. It's like having Virgil there to lead you through the underworld: he doesn't leave you stranded amid the horror but leads you back again, a wiser person for having undergone the journey
—— Keith Lowe , Daily TelegraphAn indispensable book. It is a great strength of Beevor's writing that he takes time to explain how small pieces of knowledge - the kind of thing passed on by battle-hardened soldiers themselves - could make the difference between survival and a futile death
—— David Aaronovitch , The TimesA portrait of war . . . startling in its detail. Beevor has the art of preserving the individual perspective on the battlefield while placing it among the perspectives of platoon, regiment, division, commanders, politicians and civilians. This book clarifies, without simplifying, the human experiences and political stakes of the battle for the Ardennes Forest, bringing realism to the battlefield and coherence to the larger history of the war
—— Timothy Snyder , GuardianFormidable . . . Beevor is a field marshal of facts. Under his brisk control the story of Hitler's final gamble is another example of the kind of action-packed, densely informed narrative that has proved such a formidable model
—— Nicholas Shakespeare , TelegraphNorman Ohler has written an illuminating account of the gobsmacking extent to which military strategy in the Third Reich relied on drugs. ... What you'll learn: Never trust a coked-up Nazi
—— ShortListA fascinating, most extraordinary revelation
—— BBC World NewsThe Nazis were all on drugs! So far, so sensationalist but German writer Norman Ohler's absorbing new non-fiction book, Blitzed, makes the convincing argument that the Nazis' use of chemical stimulants... played a crucial role in the successes, and failures, of the Third Reich
—— EsquireAn audacious, compelling read
—— SternEnthralling
—— Mitteldeutsche ZeitungA revelatory work that considers Hitler's career in a new light. 'Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich' is that rare sort of book whose remarkable insight focuses on a subject that's been overlooked, even disregarded by historians
—— The San Francisco ChronicleBlitzed is a fascinating read that provides a new facet to our understanding of the Third Reich
—— BuzzfeedIt's as breezy and darkly humorous as its title. But don't be fooled by the gallows humor of chapter names like 'Sieg High' and 'High Hitler': This is a serious and original work of scholarship that dropped jaws around Europe when it was published there last year
—— MashableA juicier story would be hard to find
—— The WeekDelightfully nuts, in a 'Gravity's Rainbow' kind of way.
—— The New YorkerTransforming meticulous research into compelling prose, Ohler delves into the little-known history of drug use in Nazi Germany
—— Entertainment Weekly[A] fascinating, engrossing, often dark history of drug use in the Third Reich
—— The Washington PostThis heavily researched nonfiction book by a German journalist reports that the drug was widely taken by soldiers, all the way up the ranks to Hitler himself, who received injections of a drug cocktail that also included an opioid
—— NewsdayThis is in part a work of reconstruction, unravelling Tom's life, partly a family history, and it's fascinating
—— Alan Massie , i magazineThis is a story of journeys, love, loss, memory and family and Boy's Own daring... beautiful, nostalgic, moving, shocking, swashbuckling and simply unputdownable
—— Family Tree MagazineI’m halfway through Dadland by Keggie Carew and OH THIS BOOK. Beautiful and fierce and brave. Memory and war and family and loss and, well, wow.
—— Helen Macdonald, author of H is for HawkI loved Dadland for its tenderness, humour and candour. It has begun to open the door for me to what may well lie ahead in my life, in so many of our lives, in terms of ageing parents. And it has also taught me something deeply moving about tolerance, and about love
—— Robert MacfarlaneA wonderful, haunting and beautifully written memoir... I found myself laughing out loud at times and, at others, unable to hold back the tears... An absolutely stunning book
—— James HollandDadland has the weight of family love but fizzes along in accessible and dynamic prose, highly recommended
—— Andrew McMillanA mesmerising performance by a natural storyteller gifted with the most seductive material possible, in the wild and wonderful life of her exasperating Irish father. Pain and annoyance is transmuted into pure narrative gold, as Keggie Carew interrogates the legend of this wartime adventurer and the bitter comedy of his domestic relationships and his late decline. A brave, risk-taking tale that alarms, delights and moves. As soon as you come to the end, you want to start again, to see if those things really happened
—— Iain SinclairYou love these people from the first page ... As Tom's life falls apart memory by memory, Keggie is picking it up again and her storytelling is spell-binding. Effortlessly readable, this is a delight combining laughter - and tears, yes, quite a few of those.
—— ConnexionCompelling
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily ExpressA moving memoir-cum-biography.
—— Molly McCloskey , Irish TimesBy some margin my Book of the Month... A detective story, a family history, a thrilling tale of derring-do, and the most distinctive and affecting memoir I’ve read since H is for Hawk.
—— BooksellerUtterly remarkable, and beautifully evoked… Dadland is a completely riveting, deeply poignant “manhunt” for which I predict great things.
—— BooksellerDadland, by Keggie Carew, is being tipped for award-winning breakout success in the vein of H is for Hawk
—— Jon Coates , Sunday ExpressIt’s an exorcism, ghost-hunt and swim through the archipelago of her father’s shattered self… The author’s descriptions have an easy lyricism.
—— Ed Cripps , Times Literary SupplementThe old question 'what did you do in the war, Dad?' has never had a more surprising or moving answer.
—— David HepworthWarm and funny, sometimes regretful and sad, but overall a read like a rollercoaster. Wonderful.
—— Western Morning NewsYou know the saying that everyone has a book in them? Well, unless your book is as good as this, I'd give up right now
—— Daily Mail , Markus BerkmannYou know the saying that everyone has a book in them? Well, unless your book is as good as this, I’d give up right now… This gripping book, written with real verve and a narrative expertise that wouldn’t shame a veteran.
—— Sally Morris , Daily MailA brilliant, bittersweet biography.
—— Cornelia Parker , ObserverKeggie’s writing is immersive… She writes with a warmth and generosity about her father, a man who was a genuine character and hero.
—— Paul Cheney , NudgeDadland is deeply personal. But it is also the story of our generations: people touched by war and by Alzheimer’s
—— Charlotte Heathcote , Daily Express