Book Review: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

About the book review: Dr. Christopher C. Harmon, the Bren Chair of Great Power Competition at Marine Corps University and IWP professor, reviewed Erik Larson's new book The Splendid and the Vile, which accounts the leadership of Winston Churchill during his first days as prime minister. Dr. Christopher Harmon gives an in-depth review of the book. He discusses its strengths and weaknesses, his own IWP course (IWP 628), which examines military strategy, and the best reasons to continue to study Winston Churchill, half a century after his death. About the speaker: Dr. Christopher C. Harmon wrote his political science dissertation on terrorism in the early 1980s and continued that work as Legislative Aide for Foreign Policy to a member of Congress and, much later, director of counterterrorism studies programs in Asia and Europe for the U.S. government. A professor at civilian and military graduate schools including the Naval War College, Dr. Harmon began teaching courses at The Institute of World Politics after 9/11 — on terrorism, and later on counterterrorism. Lead author or editor of six books, he holds the Bren Chair of Great Power Competition at Marine Corps University, Quantico VA.