Winston Churchill: Portrait of an Unquiet Mind (Hardback)
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 262
ISBN: 9781848846777
Published: 3rd April 2012
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Dr Andrew Norman approaches Churchill's state of mind from an entirely new medical angle, disproving the commonly held views of medical experts.
Lord Moran, Winston's doctor, who was a physician not a psychiatrist, admitted to being powerless to help his patient, who understood all was not well, not understanding his mental condition. The book also looks at the relationship between Winston and his father, Lord Randolph, and sheds new light on his Lordship's death and the attached controversy.
Winston Churchill was an extraordinary person – a politician, a statesman, a man of letters and a soldier; but it was for his wartime leadership during the Second World War that he is chiefly remembered. In a study of his life, certain bizarre character traits become discernible. He had excessive energy and required little sleep. His mind would either flit from one idea to another with
bewildering speed, or focus obsessively on one particular goal. He was impulsive, and his attention was easily drawn to irrelevant or unimportant matters. He enjoyed taking risks almost to the point of self-destruction. He lacked inhibition and was eccentric in the extreme. Yet at other times, when he was afflicted with what he called his 'Black Dog', he became depressed, irritable, aggressive, and preoccupied with death and thoughts of suicide.
By closely and painstakingly examining the statements of Churchill's doctor; of Winston himself, his family, his friends and acquaintances, Dr Norman, as a medical man, has been able to ascertain the true nature of Winston's disorder. The diagnosis having been made it is now possible, for the very first time, to understand the man himself and what made him 'tick'.
Norman, a former general medical practitioner, investigates the possible medical causes of Winston Churchill's sometimes bizarre behavior and personality quirks, such as his high energy, no need for sleep, his obsessions, his propensity for risk taking, and his depression and suicidal thoughts. The author asks why Churchill's personal physician did not refer him to a psychiatrist and looks into the cause of Churchill's death. The book offers a wealth of historical and personal photos. The author has written other biographies of world leaders.
Books News
No spoilers will be given away here. It's suffice to say that Dr Norman has made it possible for the first time to understand what made the great man tick.
Toy Soldier and Model Figure
The publishers deserve great praise for this volume, the subject of which guarantees large sales.
Pennant
This unique and original psychological study is the first in-depth look into the great man's mind. The result is a fascinating insight into the psyche of one of the most influential figures in modern history.
The Good Book Guide
Those intrigued by Churchill's eccentricities and “Black Dog” depression might find Dr Andrew Norman's Churchill: Portrait of an Unquiet Mind enlightening.
Studio International
Most people see Churchill as the great, if imperfect leader of his country during the most difficult period in its history. Few see his faults, yet there were many to be seen. Dr Andrew Norman, by contrast, has devoted his intriguing new book to examine Churchill's character and in doing so has highlighted the famous man's sometimes bizarre behaviour. An interesting and insightful examination of Britain's wartime leader.
Britain at War
About Andrew Norman
Andrew Norman was born in Newbury, Berkshire, UK in 1943. He was educated in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Midsomer Norton Grammar School, Somerset, UK, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford.
Andrew worked as a general practitioner in Poole, Dorset, before a spinal injury cut short his medical career. He is now an established writer with biographies of Charles Darwin, Winston Churchill, Thomas Hardy, T. E. Lawrence, Adolf Hitler, Agatha Christie, Enid Blyton, Beatrix Potter, Marilyn Monroe, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to his name.