Book · 2020 · History
The Splendid and the Vile
A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz
Why people recommend it
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson is a gripping historical non-fiction account detailing Winston Churchill's leadership and the resilience of the British people during the Blitz in World War II. Thomas Friedman recommended the book on The Ezra Klein Show, praising it as an extraordinary study in effective political leadership under extreme duress. Chris Williamson brought up the book on Modern Wisdom to share fascinating historical anecdotes about civilian behavior during wartime bombings, such as a surprising rise in lingerie sales. Jeffrey Toobin mentioned reading the bestseller on The Book Review, while Steven Johnson cited Larson's work on How I Write as a crucial structural model for effectively weaving historical dialogue and diary entries into narrative non-fiction. Additionally, Will Arnett discussed reading the popular book while spending time at the beach on SmartLess. Across these various podcast appearances, Larson's book is widely recognized both as an engrossing historical narrative and as a masterclass in chronicling human endurance and strategic leadership during humanity's darkest hours.
Who recommended it
- Chris Williamson Discussed
- Jeffrey Toobin Discussed
- Steven Johnson Discussed
- Thomas Friedman Recommended
Chris Williamson — 1 mention
“So, in the book, The Splender in the Vial, which is an incredible book, he talks about how lingerie sales went up significantly during the World War II bombings.”
Jeffrey Toobin — 1 mention
“I read The Splendid in the vial which is a huge bestseller”
Steven Johnson — 1 mention
“and so I went back to lon's book actually The Splendid in the vile that he just came out with because um infernal machine has a lot of dialogue because there's so many”
Thomas Friedman — 1 mention
“the second second is um on my desk The Splendid and the vial by Eric Larsson which is just an amazing study in leadership”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker — 1
“When you're on the beach, reading in the sun makes me want to—what I do is write, and I'm sorry, then I just started—I’m now reading this Splendid and the Vile, which a lot of people have read.”