Truman

Rating:
Summary: Truman
Review: A Pulitzer Prize winning book doesn't need my two cents worth, but in my view, this is an excellent book. I learned or relearned what the Korean War was about. I learned or relearned about Truman's contribution to Civil Rights. I learned or relearned how this country got into the anti-communism frenzy. And also I enjoyed reading about a man, known to be kind, tactful, and considerate, who lost his temper, just like any ordinary person.
The further you get into the book, the more important it seems to become. At first it seems endless, but finally you don't want it to end. In that sense, it reminds me a little of Anna Karenin.

Rating:
Summary: McCullough's greatness
Review: Once again, David McCullough writes a thorough and fascinating story of the 33rd president of the United States. The detailed research McCullough has included in the book shed a very personal light on Harry Truman, pulling the reader into the story and the time and the associated events and individuals. This is yet another great book by David McCullough, who is highly recommended.

To those who enjoy David McCullough's writing, another highly recommended book is John Adams. These two books are a true masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent, if too favorable, presidential biography...
Review: If I were able, I would actually have given "Truman" four-and-one-half stars instead of five. It's hard to argue with this book's enormous popularity - when it was released in the early 1990's it received generally rave reviews and became the best-selling presidential biography of the decade. And in most respects "Truman" deserves the praise it has received. David McCullough is a marvelous writer, as anyone who has read his earlier books (such as "Mornings on Horseback", his splendid account of the early years of Teddy Roosevelt) can testify. McCullough's research of Truman's life is thorough, and his writing style makes it seem as if you are with Truman on every step of his long journey towards the White House. Truman was the unlikeliest of Presidents, and he may be the last "non-millionare", non-college-educated person ever to serve in the Oval Office. Compared to most of our great Presidents (a rank which Truman is now given, thanks in no small part to this book), most of Truman's life was totally ordinary. He was a farmer who scratched for a living, he adored his wife and was completely faithful to her, he had to put up with a demanding and snooty mother-in-law who thought he was never good enough for her daughter (even after he became President!), and he was a failed businessman who constantly worried about paying the bills. Truman's life didn't really take off until he served as an artillery officer in World War One, and he learned that he could effectively command large groups of men and earn their respect. He subsequently entered Kansas City politics, serving as an honest and efficient county judge (county commissioner) in an otherwise corrupt and despised political machine run by Tom Pendergast, the nationally infamous "boss" of Kansas City. Truman remained fiercely loyal to "Boss" Pendergast, even after he was sent to prison for various crimes. Truman would display this trait of loyalty time and again, and while in many ways it was admirable, it would also get him into trouble when his friends sometimes turned out not to be as honest and open as he was. I won't recount Truman's life here, as other reviewers have already done so, but I do have one problem with the book, and that is McCullough's favoritism towards Truman. Although some other reviewers have claimed that this book is "even-handed", I would argue differently. Truman did have his flaws, but McCullough either glances at them and quickly moves on, or he just ignores the criticisms that others have made. One example involves Truman's racial feelings. McCullough does briefly mention that in his youth Truman often spoke negatively of Jews and Blacks, but argues that he "made up for it" by pushing civil rights for blacks and helping create the nation of Israel as President. What McCullough doesn't mention is that Truman's "conversion" to these ideals came in an election year (1948), in which he was the underdog and needed all the minority votes he could get. After Truman left the White House he continued to make occasional negative remarks about racial minorities - in the 1950's and 1960's he criticized Martin Luther King and the civil rights marchers in the South as "troublemakers", a fact which McCullough never mentions. Also, like most pro-Truman biographers, McCullough makes Truman into the feisty but lovable hero of the 1948 presidential election, when Truman shocked the pollsters and experts to defeat the heavily favored Republican candidate, Thomas E. Dewey. What McCullough doesn't mention is that Truman's campaign was every bit as negative and divisive as those of later Republican candidates (such as Richard Nixon) who have been much-criticized for their "dirty" campaigns. Truman, as has been proven by numerous letters, memos, and political memoirs, deliberately made personal attacks on Dewey (such as ridiculing Dewey's mustache and comparing it with Hitler's) and hurling wild, unfounded charges (in one speech he came close to comparing Dewey and the Republicans with Hitler and the Nazis, a speech which McCullough doesn't mention). Truman's campaign deliberately played upon the fears and prejudices of Democratic farmers and workers (one of Truman's main points was that Dewey and the Republicans would bring back the Great Depression), just as Republicans such as Nixon would later play upon the fears of Republican voters. In my opinion, had Truman been a Republican candidate he almost certainly would today be strongly criticized for his 1948 campaign, but instead he is given the heroic role by McCullough (Truman's opponent Dewey ran a presidential campaign that was a model of what most voters say they want. He refused to reply to Truman's "mudslinging", almost never mentioned Truman by name, and gave upbeat, optimistic speeches in which he refrained from personal attacks). In spite of these weaknesses, however, "Truman" is overall an excellent study of how a "common man" who was no different from your average "next-door neighbor" became one of the most important Presidents of the twentieth century. As "Truman" proves, there is a latent greatness in the average, taxpaying, middle-class American citizen - a fact which should provide encouragement if this nation ever again faces the problems and crises which Truman did. Highly Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read.
Review: McCullough's Truman is a landmark in American historical biography. Truman, who entered the White House in one of the most critical eras of our nation's history, rose to the occasion and truly executed the office of President of the United States to the best of his ability. Superbly written and researched, McCullough examines the many different aspects of Truman's personality which led him from the battlefields of France in the First World War, businessman and local politician in Missouri, to the White House. Particularly interesting and insightful is McCullough's examination of Truman's early years. Throughout the book Truman's inner world, consisting of his romance with Bess Wallace, is highlighted. An able and astute politician, the life of Harry Truman is a true 'american success story.' Scholarly and insightful, McCullough's Truman is an excellent source for both the professional historian and student.

Rating:
Summary: Truman
Review: This is one of the best presidential biographies I have ever read. David McCullough is an excellent writer. He is probably one of the best non-fiction writers out there. Previous to Truman, I had only read Path Between the Seas and The Johnstown Flood. Both of these books were excellent, but they could not touch Truman. It is clear that McCullough admires Truman very much. He does not, however, shy from admitting Truman's faults. The book starts with a background on Truman's ancestors and his home state of Missouri. It talks about his early life, his World War One service, and his marriage to Bess Wallace. After his foray into haberdashery, he goes into politics. With the help of the Pendergast political machine, he eventually becomes a United States senator. (The Descriptions of the Pendergasts are definitely some of the best in the book)
He sits on several important committees as a senator, and is eventually chosen as FDR's vice president. His tenure as VP is unremarkable, and brief, for in 1945, FDR dies and Truman becomes president. It is the part of Truman that the book is primarily dedicated to. Truman's presidency is fascinating, For he is involved in many world events, and oversees the beginning of the Cold War, and is stung by the beginnings of McCarthyism. His cabinet was one of the most effective ever, and included Dean Acheson and George Marshall. His 1948 reelection bid is given full coverage, as are his post-presidential years. Truman was a fascinating man and a great president, and McCullough does a great job a letting you know it.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding review of an undervalued POTUS
Review: This is an exceptional biographic work on one of the most important US presidents of the 20th Century. It is a useful narrative not just on Harry Truman personally, but moreso on the critical decisions that were made in the aftermath of World War II that set the stage for the fall of communism fifty years later. Although approaching 1,000 pages in the softcover edition, the narrative definitely piques your interest and sends you back to amazon.com seeking additional works on Truman, George Marshall, and Dwight Eisenhower.

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Summary: Truman read by author, David McCullough
Review: David McCullough's reading of his book, Truman, was clear, easy to understand, even with our hearing difficulties, and engaging. My husband and I listened to this book during a long car trip, with outside noises, and had no difficulties hearing it. We were captivated by his unbiased and often humourous rendition of this history during a time of our childhood. I sent a second copy to my mother who listened to it repeatedly until she wore it out!

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Summary: The Buck Stops Here - A Biography Well Worth Reading
Review: The first thing I think should be said about this book pertains to it being a biography. I know there are people that like reading biographies - I've heard stories about them. But most people I know think they're a bit, well, boring. This is an amazingly good read, however. So the next question is, why?

Well, I think McCullough is a good writer - no, a great writer. His sales prove that much, eh? But really, he tells a good story. This happens to be a carefully and deeply researched true story, but it is not dry, it is not labored, and it is not bad. He strings together the mundane with the high and mighty, and makes it all compelling to read. I read this book swiftly because I could not bear to put it down. I'm not sure there are so many non-fiction books you can say that about.

But let's be frank. I think part of the reason this book is so good, so great, is because the subject is so great. Truman is often portrayed as an ordinary man thrust in an important job, a person who developed into greatness. That's not the Truman in this book, and I'm not too sure such things really happen. What he was, he was for all his life. Mainly, he was someone who wanted to do a good job, the best he could, as often as he could. He was willing to admit when he hadn't, and he was willing to learn how to do it better when he didn't do a good job the first time.

You often hear, 'what a shame we don't have people like that anymore." Get real, folks. We do. But what decent percent in their right mind would want to be put through the idiocy that the American people laughingly call our political system? So when you read Truman, and you are enjoying reading this superbly written book, and you are wondering where the heck all the good politicians have gone, all the folks like Truman, well just think about whether you vote, whether you participate in your community, supporting efforts to make your world a better place. 'Cause that's what Truman thought was the most important thing - public service. This is a great book in the service of the public.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: After reading the author's brilliant biography of John Adams, I decided to tackle his work on Harry Truman. I was not disappointed. This book is every bit the page turner as John Adams. Yet, as good a writer as McCollough may be, it was his subject that shone through the pages. Our accidental President, following in the footsteps of "The President," showed all of us what can be achieved by moral courage, hard work, determination, bedrock values, honesty, and integrity. He faced some of the toughest issues (and opposition) ever faced by a President, he called them like he saw them, and never looked back. As he said, the President's job is to make decisions, and he did. I am sure he would cringe at today's world of spin politics, parsing the meaning of the word "is," and the total lack of civility that seems to permate public life. Truman was a man of whom this country can and should be proud to have called its President. Sadly, we cannot say that about others who have followed him to the White House.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read on a Forgotten President
Review: David McCullough single-handedly put Harry Truman back on the map with this masterful book.

Harry Truman has never loomed large on the history of US Presidents. After all, he followed one of the most enduring of all leaders--FDR--and was followed by one of the greatest Generals of American history--Dwight Eisenhower. However, in this book, McCullough shows the incredible role that Truman did play in shaping modern American history.

Truman was a pioneer in the civil rights movement, becoming one of the first Democrats to begin to turn that into a major issue for the party. He was a plain-spoken man, who held no punches--after all, he was the president who decided to drop the atomic bomb.

For all of his complexities, Truman really stands out in this work as someone who really stood up for what he believed in--at all cost. This work serves to elevate Harry Truman to a level that he deserves in American History.

It's a wonderful read and incredibly intruiging. You won't want to put it down.