De Gaulle, tome 1

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Savior of his nation in war; bold man of letters; patriot; a statesman who achieved reality for his political vision by the overwhelming force of his will: the personality that emerges in Jean Lacouture's magnificent biography of Charles de Gaulle seems larger than life, a presence of mythic proportions. The story begins with de Gaulle's childhood in Lille & follows him through his heroic experiences in WWI & his swift rise to prominence in the French army, to that great moment of triumph, the liberation of Paris in 8/44. Perceptions of the private de Gaulle--the schoolboy, the father--are woven into this politically astute account of a career grounded in controversy. The unorthodox, if brilliant, workings of his mind, coupled with his unbending formality & an unwillingness to compromise, often isolated de Gaulle from his contemporaries. At many points we see him standing alone, as in his insistence on armored divisions to support the Maginot line before WWII, or in his declaration of a Free France in defiance of the Vichy government, or in the passionate disagreements with Churchill & Roosevelt over allied strategy. Lacouture's narrative reveals the highlights & shadows of this man obsessed with history & with his own role in the great drama of the French nation.