Truman

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Summary: A Book That Will Forever Change Your Opinion of Truman
Review: Do you have an image of Harry Truman as an ordinary man, a common man who became the accidental president, as a man overwhelmed by the crises of the twentieth century? Do you have the impression that Harry Truman was a dull man and that his life would be too boring to read about? If so, how wrong you would be. David McCullough's biography "Truman" is as detailed and beautifully written a biography as you will find. Here Truman comes alive and steps out of history to reveal the admirably decent, hugely courageous, and impressively competent man that he was. While his early years are interesting, particularly his role in WW I, and while his formative years in politics as part of the Pendergast machine are enlightening in their revelation of how politics in America work, it is in the long discourse on the presidential years that the book becomes totally spell-binding.

The Truman presidency took place at a time in history when the world as we know it, the world of the Cold War and the age of possible nuclear holocaust, was becoming a reality. It is utterly fascinating to witness Truman and the men around him struggle with the issues that arose for those who were "present at the creation." Here is the story of an America intent on bringing home its sons after victory in WW II, only to find itself forced to deal with the birth pangs of a new age and new conflicts. The country that Truman now led was suddenly made aware of its responsibility for the survival of democratic freedom in the world. Faced with this enormous responsibility, Harry Truman stood tall and made the right decisions. As Winston Churchill made clear to President Truman, "you more than any other man have saved Western civilization."

Herein, read about the decision to drop the atomic bomb as well as Truman's determination that it should never be used again. Herein, read about the American concern over the growing domination of eastern Europe by the Soviet Union, the founding of the United Nations, Truman's aid to Greece and Turkey, the creation of the C.I.A, Truman's insistence on civilian control of nuclear weapons, the Marshall plan, the Berlin Airlift, the creation of NATO, the founding of the state of Israel, the creation of the People's Republic of China, the Korean War and the sacking of MacArthur. Read about Truman taking the head of the United Mine Workers Union to court, seizing the steel mills, and the staunch defense of his associates from the attacks of McCarthy. Read about his amazing whistlestop campaign and thrilling victory in the 1948 campaign. And don't forget the almost total rebuilding of the White House that so few people are aware of. It is all here. Never in the twentieth century did a president have to wrestle with so many critical issues, and never did a president serve humanity so wisely.

Along with this study of Truman the president we find emerging a vivid portrait of Truman the man. His personal qualities and his role as husband, father, and friend reveal him as a loving, kind, caring, and honest man who valued loyalty and decency. While under attack and low in the opinion polls when he left office, we can only stand amazed at the extent to which his critics and the political right would go for their own partisan purposes. Fortunately, with time, history has a way of correcting the picture of men who are often vilified in their own time by partisan politics. This has certainly been the case with Harry Truman who must be rated near the top, if not at the very top, of a list of the most outstanding presidents of the twentieth century. We speak of Roosevelt, Stalin, Churchill, and Mao as among the giants of the century, but certainly Harry Truman belongs with them. McCullough's book will explain why.

In sum, McCullough's book is a must for anyone interested in American history and politics in the twentieth century. It is also rewarding as a study of how a humane and decent man can enter the rough and tumble world of politics and retain his integrity, sense of humor, and honesty. Read it, enjoy it, and contemplate it.

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Summary: The (2nd) Greatest President of the Century!
Review: The second Greatest President of the 20th Century and the Greatest Political Biography. One word describes both: Truman.

Truman the man embodied all that is good in American politics - providing leadership both domestically and internationally when both were in desperate need for it and a personal life that exuded decency and integrity.

Truman the book, by David McCulloch validates Emerson's maxim that "There is no history, only biography". Incredibly well crafted, McCulloch's book at times reads like a novel. A well-deserved recepient of the Pulitzer Prize, "Truman" is a great read for even non-history buffs.

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Summary: Best history book ever
Review: As a Frenchman and an ex-journalist I have always been interested in WWI and WWII and the role of America in it. I love history and I have been reading history books since i was a little kid. Books about WWII and the aftermath of it are abundant and I have read a hell of a lot of them.
But this one STANDS out as no others can do. It is amazingly comprehensive, detailed, far-stretching and giving the most intelligent knowledge of american society and american politics. I could not keep but reading it late at night and during daytime even at office.
The portrait of Truman is really fascinating and this man is so comprehensively depicted and made so loveable in the book that it made me better understand what in Europe we owe to this great President. If anyone wants to undersand what happened in the world at large during the XXth century and to know better America and its people, this book is a must and I would be glad if it were made a compulsory reading for every French students.
Truman by McCullough is a "chef d'oeuvre".
Michel Cahier

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Summary: Truman's Story is America's Story; An Incredible One!
Review: David McCulloch has written a simply smashing book about President Truman. This book manages to be three things at once; an incisive biography, generally favorable but not hiding HST's faults; a sweeping panorama of American history from the latter 1800s through the 1970s; and it reads like a great novel! If you want to get to know a wonderful fellow who beat the odds to become a successful President, read this book! If you want to follow this nation's social and political development over a century, read this book! If you want exposure to the great foreign policy crises that shaped the post-war world, read this book! And the incredibly moving final chapter, detailing President Truman's final illness and death, is worth the price of the book in itself. I still get chills reading it.

In short, this book is a home run!

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Summary: One of the best biographies ever
Review: The size of the book is daunting indeed. Don't let it scare you off. A genius of a book and it flies by. I spent much of life looking for a true hero and I found it in this book. Truman is perhaps one of our finest presidents. He was tough, honest, and caught up in history. This book is required reading for fans of history and the 20th century. Enjoy!

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Summary: A honest politician-an endangered species
Review: After seeing the movie with Gary Sinese, I went to the library to check out Truman. Mr Truman went to bed with me every night and to work with me everyday for 6 weeks. I LOVED this book. He lived by what his parents taught him. Trust in the Lord, work hard, do your best, speak the truth, assume no airs and have no fear. He did all these things whether he was plowing a field or making decisions of historic magnitude. He was no hick! He grew up reading, listening and playing classics. Once when a secret service man offered to set him up with a woman, he said, Son, don't ever say anything like that to me again. I married my childhood sweetheart. Any man who can't be faithful to his wife, can't be faithful to his country. What a Man! A lot like my husband.

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Summary: Best Biography of Truman
Review: David McCullough's biography of Harry Truman remains the best, most objective biography available. Nicely written, this fast-paced book covers all aspects of Mr. Truman's life without getting caught up in his persona as had other biographies, including an "oral biography" very popular in the 70's.

Here is an objective comprehensive biography which presents Truman as a complex individual in his various roles as husband, father, beleaguered son-in-law, WWI officer, businessman, Senator and President. The president was an uncommon mixture of intelligence, character (boy did he have character), honesty, decency and above all, the common touch.

This is a marvelous book, one that you will come back to time and again.

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Summary: Just Wild About Harry!
Review: It's a different world than it was 50 years ago when Harry S Truman took us from the end of World War II and help set the foundation for the world we build today. David McCullough does a n excellent job of taking us back to that time for one man in this amazing biography.

Topping out at over a thousand pages, this book is not for "light reading." This book will engross you in ever sense of the word, and you will find the hours slipping by as you become enveloped in this flowing history. From birth through death, this exhaustively researched biography deals with the major crises and turning points of not only Truman's presidency, but of his life as well. Everything you think you know about Truman is in here in minute detail, and many more events in his life you didn't know are extrapolated upon as well.

On the eve of the 2000 election, it's nice to be able to pick up this book and look back on a time when words like "honor" and "integrity" were words that could actually be used to describe some of those who aspired to political office. I can write for hours of the merits of this book, but the biggest compliment I can give it is that in the year since I first bought it, I've read it twice.

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Summary: You can't put it down
Review: This is biography the way it should be written, but too often historians are bland and brittle as writers. McCullough writes masterfully and holds the reader throughout 1,000 pages on the life of Harry Truman. This is one of the most superb historical biographies I have ever read because McCullough never stumbles: his research is impeccable, his writing style is enjoyable and his bias is kept at a minimum. Though it's obvious he admires (and perhaps even reveres) Truman, he never verges on hagiography. He balances the portrait with critical examination of his subject as well.

McCullough also creates the sense of what it was like to be a farmer in Missouri in the 1920's; the reader can smell the corn, see the hay and feel the searing hear. He also illuminates just how *hard* Truman had to work in those years, the backbreaking labor farmers endured then is detailed throughout these middle chapters. He also never loses sight of the importance of Bess in Harry's story. McCullough reprints many of his love letters to her, which make engrossing reading. He doesn't neglect the private side of this very public man.

This is historical biography at its zenith and this will stand as the preeminent Truman biography for many years to come. Highly recommended.

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Summary: This is as fine a biography as David McCullough has written.
Review: Correction. It is his best work, period. When I visited President Truman's home & gravesite earlier this year, this book came back to me though I read it several years ago. It was a fine reference & provided some background to what I saw in the mueseum. It even provided me with answers to questions our fine mueseum guide didn't have. This may be a definitive biography for an overview of Truman's entire life, as there are fine books on World War II, the Korean War & the election of 1948 (The Last Campaign comes to mind). I felt as if I wanted to send a copy to President Clinton although I suspect he knew of it. The dark days of 1946 & 1994 when the Republicans gained a majority in congress were very similar, as were the come from behind victories of both men in 1948 & 1996. The other reason was for the moral clarity that Truman seemed to have. We have no better example of a man growing into a job. Truman did. Lucky for us.