The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson

When Erik Larson moved to New York City he began musing on the experiences of those who lived through the September 11 terrorist attacks as well as the aftermath. Thinking of similar situations he focused on Londoners during the Blitz and Battle of Britain in WWII. The resulting book looks at Churchill's ability to lead and inspire when things seemed hopeless, which is to say during the time before the Americans finally entered the war.

Larson does a fantastic job of making you feel you understood those struggles, those times, and those people. By the last third of the book I was fully invested in the people and the story. In fact, I had tears of joy about the victory celebrations.

This one's a keeper and I know I'll be reading it again.