Five Star Printing and Design Ltd. Qormi

2012.  pp 180.  €9   Ziemel tal-Gwerra is an absorbing novel translated into Maltese by the well-known author Tony C. Cutajar from the original War Horse written by Michael Morpurgo. The story recounts the experiences of Joey, a horse purchased by the Army for service in World War I France and the attempts of young Albert, his previous owner, to bring him safely home. It formed the basis of both an award winning play (2007) and an acclaimed film (2011). Reviews describe the novel as a book that touches the heart and mind, full of humanity and heroism, an incredible power of friendship, courage and loyalty in time of conflict. It is an ideal story for teenagers and young adults. 

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P??b?s meetings with Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, where we see Churchill's role diminish to that of third fiddle among the Big Three as his concerns about the Soviet dictator's designs on eastern Europe prove to be prophetic.

  Throughout the book, Churchill comes across as a man of action, an energetic leader with an indomitable spirit whose strength and vitality belie his age. His prodigious drinking and late-night work schedule didn't appear to hamper his effectiveness, and the authors reject the notion that he suffered from depression, or what Churchill called the "black dog." He found the war "exhilarating," viewing it as "the supreme chapter" of his life. He was drawn to the battlefield; he sought to get close to the action at critical times such as D-Day and eagerly visited anti-aircraft crews and bombed-out sections of London during the Blitz. But his words proved to be his mightiest weapons, inspiring Britons when they fought alone. His tribute to his nation's fighter pilots who won the Battle of Britain — "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" — retains its power today. "Certainly he demonstrated that powerful words could alter the course of history," the authors write. Readers who might be put off by the length of this doorstop of a book need not worry. This is popular history at its most readable and absorbing. It captures the drama of the war years and the leading players while providing a balanced and memorable portrait of the man viewed by many as the 20th century's greatest statesman.