© 2026 All Rights reserved WUSF
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Our daily newsletter, delivered first thing weekdays, keeps you connected to your community with news, culture, national NPR headlines, and more.

In an Empire's End, Seeds of Freedom and Conflict

The sun set on the British Empire 60 years ago this summer, on Aug. 15, 1947, when India officially gained its independence.

A new work of narrative history called Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire probes the behind-the-scenes political machinations — and the potentially scandalous secret love affair — that facilitated the handover.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Tags
Maureen Corrigan is a book critic for Fresh Air.
Thanks to you, WUSF is here — delivering fact-based news and stories that reflect our community.⁠ Your support powers everything we do.