Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in May 1940, when the British Empire stood alone against Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers, and was immediately under immense pressure to appease Germany. Three weeks after taking office, a quickly assembled British fleet saved more than 335,000 soldiers who had been cut off by the German army at Dunkirk. As the rescue was concluding, Churchill famously told Parliament, "We shall fight on beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." With that speech, written by himself at lightning speed, he changed the political mood, the climate. He shored up the nervous will of a shaking people. Darkest Hour: a Portrait of Leadership traces just five weeks of Churchill's life in forensic detail, both the political and the private, including his thoughts of appeasement and his self-doubts followed by the steeling of his soul that culminated in his iconic speech. Masterfully written, this is the thrilling story behind England's greatest PM compelling the nation down an uncertain fearful road that, eventually, and against the odds, and with all the sacrifice Winston predicted, ended in total victory.