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b'A few months after Winston\\xa0Churchill\\xa0took office as prime minister, the German military began an eight month-long bombing campaign on the United Kingdom which became\\xa0known as the Blitz. The bombing, which lasted for 57 consecutive days and nights, killed 45,000 Britons. What was life like for the people who experienced the Blitz? My guest today zoomed in on this question by looking at the lives of Winston\\xa0Churchill\\xa0and his inner circle during this precarious year of the war.\\xa0\\n\\nHis name is Erik Larson, and in his latest book\\xa0The Splendid and the Vile, he shows readers how the Blitz could be absolutely terrifying, unexpectedly normal, and strangely beautiful at the same time, and does so by profiling how\\xa0Churchill, as well as his family members and advisers, handled both the unexpected horrors of war and the predictable pickles of interpersonal drama.\\xa0We begin our conversation discussing the\\xa0extent of the Blitz, and then spend the rest of our conversation discussing key members in what\\xa0Churchill\\xa0called his "sacred circle." We learn how\\xa0Churchill\'s wife Clementine supported her husband during the Blitz, how his son Randolph created trouble with his gambling and affairs, how his teenage daughter Mary managed to keep doing typically adolescent\\xa0activities even while bombs fell on England, and how his advisors contributed to his leadership. These characters offer a great lesson in how life goes on even in the midst of a crisis, and how one can be fearless even in the face of a threat.\\n\\nGet the show notes at aom.is/larson.'