When Lions Roar

When Lions Roar opens in the mid-1930s with U.S. ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy's first visit to Chartwell, Churchill's country estate, and the questionable business dealings that initially linked these powerful men. In London, the two families shared an ever-widening social circle, from the Mitford sisters to wealthy American heiress Kay Halle to author Evelyn Waugh. But before long, Churchill was trying desperately to persuade America to join Britain in the fight against Hitler, leading to clashes on both sides of the Atlantic, involving Nazi spying in Kennedy's embassy, sexual infidelities, and the tragic deaths of JFK's sister Kathleen and his older brother, Joe Jr. By the 1960s and JFK's presidency, the Churchills and the Kennedys had overcome their bitter differences, ultimately developing a meaningful personal connection and contributing to the other's place in history.
The book centers on fathers and their sons, providing keen insight into why Churchill's family turned out so different from the Kennedy clan and underlining the significance of one cross-generational influence in particular: the seismic impact of Winston Churchill on JFK and American policy for many years to come. Maier delves deeply into the conflicted and contentious bond between Winston and his son, Randolph--who loved and admired his father but never won his lasting respect or approval--and the contrasting example of patriarch Joe Kennedy, a failed politician who successfully channeled his personal ambitions to his children. Woven throughout this drama are the many remarkable women vitally important to the lives of these famous men, from secret lovers like writer Clare Boothe Luce to such high-profile wives as Jackie Kennedy. When Lions Roar offers a new understanding of the "special relationship" between the Churchills and Kennedys, between the United States and Great Britain, with all of its emotional complexity and historic significance.