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| photo: Jay Ford | |
Jonathan Sandys, a great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, is an international speaker focusing on the life, times and leadership of his illustrious relative. Sandys is co-author--with Dr. Wallace Henley, a senior pastor of Houston's Second Baptist Church and former White House aide--of God and Churchill (Tyndale House, October 1, 2015). It is his first book and presents evidence that supports Churchill's belief that his life was both guided and protected by, as he put it, "Divine intervention."
On your nightstand now:
The Downing Street Years by Margaret Thatcher. I grew up during the Thatcher years and admired her strength and character. I remember the Falklands War, and Lady Thatcher's speeches during that time. Her voice, firm to the enemy in its resolve like my great-grandfather's, but gentle to us as British subjects.
I met Lady Thatcher several times after she left office, and I cherish each moment, especially the first in the Cabinet War Rooms when she lost her husband, Dennis. "He is always wandering off, and I keep losing him," she lamented to me but in humor. It was clear from their entrance, interactions and the way they left together that Margaret and Dennis Thatcher were as in love then as they had been when they first met.
Favorite book when you were a child:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial by William Kotzwinkle. I loved the film and so read the book. I was very young and remember my room and my life was littered with drawings that I had done of E.T. The character was very lovable, and as a boy I was incredibly jealous of Elliott.
Your top five authors:
Sir Winston S. Churchill: although related, this is not bias. Great-Grandpapa happened to have a very appealing style of writing. I am engaged from the start and find it difficult to put his books down.
Sir Martin Gilbert, who was not just my great-grandfather's official biographer, but he was a great friend. I have dedicated God & Churchill in part to Martin.
James C. Humes, who produced several Churchill books over the years, and also a DVD set on public speaking.
Jeffrey Archer, one of the "bad boys" of the Thatcher-era. He landed himself in prison for perjury, and in typical fashion, came back with a book on his experiences as a guest of Her Majesty.
Christopher Catherwood has proven himself to be very thorough in his research. He, like James Humes, has also written several books on Churchill, and they are each engaging and accurate.
Book you've faked reading:
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Forgive me, I just found the book so boring; I couldn't get into it.
Book you're an evangelist for:
The Love Dare by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick. My wife, Sara, and I broke up for a period of five months. When we got back together, The Love Dare was recommended to us. We read it and began applying some of the principles and found to our delight that it strengthened our marriage. It is amazing what the simplest act of love can do to change a person's perspective on life and indeed on marriage.
Book you've bought for the cover:
I'm really sorry, I can't say that I have ever bought a book for the cover. Although I have certainly looked at a book as I was drawn to its cover.
Book that changed your life:
My Early Life by Sir Winston S. Churchill. Having read and listened to many of Great-Grandpapa's speeches and read a few things he had written, My Early Life was not a book I picked up until I was first asked for an overview speech of Churchill's life for a school in Macon, Ga. As I began reading the book, I suddenly became enamored. I realized many similarities between Churchill's childhood and my own. It was because of this book that I decided to become a public speaker and gained the confidence to believe that I would be good at it.
Favorite line from a book:
"Only by being in touch with what motivates you can you then grasp what motivates others." --Star Trek: Imzadi by Peter David
Which character you most relate to:
Mr. Darcy, from Pride & Prejudice. Although he displays conceit and a self-righteous attitude on occasions, I feel he is more honest and blunt in most cases than arrogant. We only see the view of Darcy from Elizabeth's point of view, and it is only later in the book that we realize Elizabeth has been wrong about Darcy and misjudged him entirely. I relate to Darcy from several aspects. I was once arrogant, and it took the introduction of a young lady in my life to quell that arrogance. When Elizabeth Bennet gave Darcy the chance to blossom, she, too, realized there was much more depth to him that she had first assumed.
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
First Among Equals by Jeffrey Archer, for several reasons. Firstly, I either know the history or lived it. Secondly, it is a very exciting story of four men who each enter politics together, and how they climb the greasy political pole to the top and what they are prepared to do to get there. Each of the characters presents an interesting analysis of the politics of the 1960s, to the politics we have today. It has been one of my most favorite books since I was 13, and I have reread it three times.