{"product_id":"hero-of-the-empire-the-boer-war-a-daring-escape-and-the-making-of-winston-churchill-9780804194891","title":"Hero of the Empire: The Boer War  a Daring Escape  and the Making of Winston Churchill","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom New York Times bestselling author of Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt  a thrilling narrative of Winston Churchills extraordinary and little-known exploits during the Boer War  At age twenty-four  Winston Churchill was utterly convinced it was his destiny to become prime minister of England one day  despite the fact he had just lost his first election campaign for Parliament. He believed that to achieve his goal he must do something spectacular on the battlefield. Despite deliberately putting himself in extreme danger as a British Army officer in colonial wars in India and Sudan  and as a journalist covering a Cuban uprising against the Spanish  glory and fame had eluded him.  Churchill arrived in South Africa in 1899  valet and crates of vintage wine in tow  there to cover the brutal colonial war the British were fighting with Boer rebels. But just two weeks after his arrival  the soldiers he was accompanying on an armored train were ambushed  and Churchill was taken prisoner. Remarkably  he pulled off a daring escape--but then had to traverse hundreds of miles of enemy territory  alone  with nothing but a crumpled wad of cash  four slabs of chocolate  and his wits to guide him.  The story of his escape is incredible enough  but then Churchill enlisted  returned to South Africa  fought in several battles  and ultimately liberated the men with whom he had been imprisoned.  Churchill would later remark that this period  \"could I have seen my future  was to lay the foundations of my later life.\" Millard spins an epic story of bravery  savagery  and chance encounters with a cast of historical charactersincluding Rudyard Kipling  Lord Kitchener  and Mohandas Gandhiwith whom he would later share the world stage. But Hero of the Empire is more than an adventure story  for the lessons Churchill took from the Boer War would profoundly affect 20th century history.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647132753973,"sku":"ByrdShop_0804194890","price":33.82,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780804194891.jpg?v=1781688922","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/hero-of-the-empire-the-boer-war-a-daring-escape-and-the-making-of-winston-churchill-9780804194891","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}