Commander in Chief: FDR's Battle with Churchill, 1943

In this follow-up to The Mantle of Command: FDR at War, 1941–1942, which focused on Franklin D. Roosevelt's wartime strategies, biographer Hamilton (senior fellow, McCormack Graduate Sch. of Policy and Global Studies, Univ. of Massachusetts Boston) chronicles Roosevelt's actions in 1943, particularly his often contentious encounters with Winston Churchill and America's changing partnership with Britain. British-American relations were critical during this time period; what is less understood is that there were difficult, selfish, and at times shady aspects of this alliance—and at the heart of these dealings were Roosevelt and Churchill. Hamilton marches through 1943 in great detail, exposing the surprising reverses that tried the patience of the normally stalwart Roosevelt, while also throwing light on the political machinations that would lead to Alllied victory in World War II. While the pacing may appear slow to general readers as a result of the painstaking descriptions, history buffs and scholars will find this to be a fascinating read, clearly relating the many surprising story threads that comprise a now legendary relationship between two global powers.