Truman

Rating:
Summary: Superb, educational and entertaining
Review: Not only a must for History buffs, but also for anyone just wishing for a good read

Rating:
Summary: A biography so good you feel like you lived alongside Truman
Review: Truman is quite simply an excellent biographical work. I originally read the book because I grew up with Carter and Reagan, and really didn't know too much about Harry S. Truman. After reading the book, I wish that politicians today had the integrity of President Truman, and that more biographers had the skill and touch of Mr. McCullough.

Rating:
Summary: The best book I have ever read
Review: Honesty in its purest form, integrity which proved itself when it mattered most, courage to make the tough decisions and love of family and country. Truman should be compulsory reading for all leaders. The world needs more like him. This is a book that, once finished, makes you want to read everything written about Harry Truman and everything written by the author, David McCullough. One reveiwer said, "My only complaint about this marvellous book is how much it makes me miss the old guy." I never met Truman, but thanks to David McCullough I feel I have known him all my life. I miss him too.

Rating:
Summary: A superb read
Review: This is an excellent read. The upbeat writing holds attention with ease. Harry Truman comes to life in this suitably long book. Living through some of the fastest changing times in human history Truman's story is interesting of itself. That he became President of the USA and faced the nuclear bomb issue makes for fascinating and touchingly real political drama. The beginning of the cold war has a fresh perspective and complements Daniel Yergin's excellent 'Shattered Peace'. David McCullough is so good at describing people that his views of Churchill, Stalin and many other famous and important people of the day make for fascinating reading. A truly thought provoking read and above all eminently readable and enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK
Review: Harry S. Truman believed that history is made by people and personalities -- that people shape events and not the other way around. This biography illustrates that very well. Some people will say that it is not balanced, that there is not enough "negative" portrayal of Truman. I'd disagree. The acid test of any biography is to leave you feeling like you've met a real person -- all his greatness and all his weaknesses. This biography does that. If you read the rest of the reviews on this page you'll see that people are deeply affected by his story -- they feel like they just met a real person and not only that, someone who's story still speaks to them. What is clear from reading this book is that (a) it deserved the pulitzer prize because it is one of the great biographies, (b) Truman was, warts and all, a "great man". When you pick this up, stick with it all the way to the end and digest what it has to say. You'll never get it out of your! head.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: This is my favorite book of all time. I have never know such joy at reading a biography like this and know of no other story that encompasses these events and personalities in quite this way. I believe it is unequaled as an American epic and as a standard for non-fiction. I have read this volume twice and still look forward to living this remarkable life with Harry and Bess again and again. I recommend this book to everyone that I know because it is so rich in the details and joyous in the telling of a great man's life. McCollough has done a service to his country by delivering a biography of a president that is both thorough and heartfelt. I treasure my copy and must tell my friends to purchase their own. Truman is a treasure.

Rating:
Summary: I feel I know a man who was President before I was born.
Review: Having just turned 30, Truman's presidency had ended long before I was born. Now that I've read Mr. McCullough's book, though, I not only feel as though I know Harry Truman personally, but I've been exposed to a world of political machines, international diplomacy, and high-level political struggles which I otherwise could not have known. By using a combination of descriptive prose, engaging anecdotes, and direct quotations, Mr. McCullough allows his readers to follow the life of Truman with vivid clarity. The length of the book is a benefit. It takes a while to read, so you actually live with Truman in your life for some time (thereby increasing the sense that he is becoming an acquaintance). I only wish that I could thank Mr. McCullough personally for introducing me to Mr. Truman -- a man whom I came to admire greatly. When I neared the end of the book and read of Truman's death, I literally cried at the loss of what had become a friend.

Rating:
Summary: A life story of a true leader, caring husband & father.
Review: This is the life story of a man full of dignity and honesty. He was a man who loved his family and his country. And despite his modest upbring and only a high school degree, he managed to put his mark on the history of this country and the world. He and his wise advisors established the policy of containment and implemented the Marshal plan to contain the spread of communisim and Stalin's lust for domination. He was the one who predicted almost fifty years ago that communism will fall from within. He was a true leader, a True Man. I extend my appreciation and gratitude to Mr. McClough for the wounderfull work he has done on this book.

Rating:
Summary: Best Biography
Review: This is the best biography I've ever read, and I've read many. My favorite part of the book is its lessons in leadership and decisionmaking. Truman walked up to the worst kinds of problems, faced them squarely, sought advice from his advisors, thought carefully, and then made prompt decisions based on the merits as he saw them. He knew he might occasionally err, but he was paid to decide, and once he decided he never looked back. He moved on to the next problem. No agonizing, no focus groups.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding In-depth information, and entertaining too.
Review: Informative, stimulating, McCullough at his best, and with one of his best subjects. Truman's exciting come-from-behind win in 1948 doesn't hurt the readability of this wonderful biography. Brings to life some other very fascinating individuals who had a tremendous impact on the times (as McCullough always manages to do) such as Marshall, Eisenhower, Dean Acheson, and Robert A. Taft. McCullough gets you hooked, then you have to go and read up on these other characters to get the full effect of McCullough's design - a brilliant plan by a brilliant author to challenge us all to learn more.

Whatever people thought of Truman at the time, posterity certainly has been kind to him and his presidency. I highly recommend you read this book to find out why.