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Truman

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 · rating details · 18,603 ratings · 977 reviews

The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters -- Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson -- and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man -- a more complex, informed, and deter...more

Paperback, 1116 pages

Published June 14th 1993 by Simon & Schuster (first published June 15th 1992)

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Feb 07, 2013 Steve aka Sckenda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those Inspired by Ordinary People of Authenticity and of Grandeur

Shelves: history-united-states, pulitzer-prize, pulitzer-prize-author, cold-war, presidents, biography, movie, francis-parkman-prize

David McCullough celebrates the life of Harry S. Truman, the unlikely president, in this Pulitzer-Prize-winning biography. Truman (1945-52), prosecuted the Second World War to its apocalyptic conclusion and then reorganized the national security infrastructure for the Cold War. This review will not recount the famous events of Cold War history on Truman’s watch: the United Nations; Korea; NATO; the Marshall Plan; Israeli Statehood; the Berlin Airlift, NSC 68; and the Election of 1948-- but will...more

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Jul 03, 2007 AJ Griffin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people with fantastic attention spans, lots of time, and at least a slight interest in the subject

For some reason or another, I had to read this book in 3 days. It was like a full time job, considering it's about 3284293842034820384238 pages long. I did it though, and for about two months or so I was a motherfucking Harry Truman expert. Then I forgot almost everything.

Anyway, if you want seem like a history encyclopedia for a little while, take a three-day weekend and rip this bad boy open. Maybe you'll get laid.

(one word of caution: reading this gave me the temerity to say "mcarthur was a g...more

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Jun 19, 2008 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

David McCullough is a master, plain and simple. Who else could make a 992 page paperback biography compulsively readable? I knew essentially nothing about Harry Truman before reading this biography, and now I think he might be my favorite president. Truly a man of the people, who never let the highest office in the country go to his head, Truman made difficult decisions that would have crippled other men within the first four months of his presidency. While not all of his policies were popular d...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Mikey B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

A good and complete biography of Truman. David McCullough describes well the political events surrounding the era and his climb to power – which was gradual but well earned. Truman was only two years younger than Roosevelt but in far better health. He was a vastly different person more prone to indiscretions. Even so he survived well in a turbulent era - the end of World War II, taking the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, the commencement of the Cold War, the creation of the state of I...more A good and complete biography of Truman. David McCullough describes well the political events surrounding the era and his climb to power – which was gradual but well earned. Truman was only two years younger than Roosevelt but in far better health. He was a vastly different person more prone to indiscretions. Even so he survived well in a turbulent era - the end of World War II, taking the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan, the commencement of the Cold War, the creation of the state of Israel (where he did waffle) and the Korean War. Truman importantly promoted the U.N.

He was not afraid to take decisions, but he could be petulant as in writing to the Washington Post when they dared to criticize his daughter’s musical performance at a concert (this was something Roosevelt would never have done).

I felt the author devoted too many pages to the 1948 campaign (over 60 pages). Very little was said about Truman’s efforts to desegregate the armed forces (how much opposition did this receive?) Also I am somewhat perplexed about Truman’s marriage to his wife Bess. He did marry quite late – at 35 – which is unusual in that era. Bess did not spend that much time with him in Washington during his Senate and Presidential years when he could have used the emotional support. Also they resided in her mother’s house when in Independence, Missouri. For a strong-willed individual Harry Truman seemed to be dominated by both his wife and mother-in-law.

His firing of Douglas MacArthur is well depicted as well as his increasing frustration with Joe McCarthy – where it could be said that it was beneath presidential dignity to deal with such a scoundrel. His friendship with his staff – Clark Clifford, Dean Acheson and the illustrious George Marshall is conveyed. His growing irritation with his successor Eisenhower is interesting.

A portrait of a warm and up-front person emerges – plus that of someone who could quickly grasp new situations and evaluate new personalities (with the exception of Josef Stalin – but he was not alone in this). He was expeditious to root out the “hangers on” of the Roosevelt administration, but did not lose site of the accomplishments of that era.
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Feb 22, 2008 RJ Corby rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a brilliant book about one of our finest

David McCullough's "Truman" has won many accolades and awards, chief among them the Pulitzer Prize. After reading this wonderful book from cover-to-cover in less than a week, I'm convinced that this book deserves all of the praise it has received, and more.

"Truman" is the ultimate, complete package in a presidential biography. Even a novice of 20th century history (this writer included) would have a list of important events that he or she would wan...more This is a brilliant book about one of our finest

David McCullough's "Truman" has won many accolades and awards, chief among them the Pulitzer Prize. After reading this wonderful book from cover-to-cover in less than a week, I'm convinced that this book deserves all of the praise it has received, and more.

"Truman" is the ultimate, complete package in a presidential biography. Even a novice of 20th century history (this writer included) would have a list of important events that he or she would want to read about in a Truman bio. McCullough covers them all, and in detail: the decision to drop the atomic bomb, FDR's death and the transition to the Truman administration, the Potsdam conference, the creation of the United Nations, the Korean War, the firing of MacArthur, the 1948 election, his decision to not run in 1952, etc. McCullough touches all of the bases beautifully.

The highest compliment I can think to give McCullough for this book is the sense of balance in his writing and how he brings Truman to life. Mostly absent from this book, thankfully, is the rampant cheerleading and bootlicking that plague other presidential biographies. McCullough isn't a Truman admirer who puts a positive spin on every significant event during Truman's presidency. It's obvious that McCullough thinks highly of Truman, but he grapples with the controversies of Truman without softpeddling, unlike Stephen Ambrose's one-volume "Eisenhower: Soldier & President," where Ambrose neglects important events and spends entirely too much time raining down praise on Ike.

This thoroughly researched book presents Truman in a fair and balanced manner, and much of that research is based on Truman's diaries. "Truman" covers the president's bad decisions as well as his good ones, with the president's rationale behind those decisions.

I highly recommend this book and I believe it sits high atop the heap of the many available presidential biographies. McCullough is one of America's finest historians. Buy this book, read it, and in the end, be disappointed that it's over. (Orig. Review Dec. '04)(less)

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Feb 01, 2008 Lisa Greer rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: history buffs, everyone

Oh, yes, I am ambitious. This book must be 1000 pages. It's huge... and interesting so far. And it won a Pulitzer. I'm reading it because McCullough's bio of John Adams made me bawl like a baby when I got near the end. I mean-- how can one not cry upon reading about Adams and Jefferson BOTH living until and dying on July 4th, the same July 4th, out of sheer will? I wish more Americans and people in general knew these stories and of these people rather than just knowing a lot of fiction. And I do...more

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Jan 27, 2009 Erin Hepner rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: History nuts and Politicos, and anyone interested in very detailed portraits of lives.

With the elections coming up, I think it is important for everyone to take a good look at what a presidency is all about. This book was particularily interesting to me, because the author is so detail-oriented, you really get a perfect sense of where this man came from, and how he came to be the leader of the free world at that time.

We have to remember that the people in the history books were once just 'real men', with flaws, dreams, and families. Sometimes it's not all policy and hogwash; Som...more

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Mar 08, 2011 Fred Bomer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fascinated by the detail and Mr. McCullough's ability to transport me back to the time period. Additionally, I am developing a tremendous respect for Mr. Truman's civility and dedication to "correctness" and his tremendous respect for others. -

Time well spent - Excellent book in detail, narrative and storyline! I have really enjoyed this book and recommend it toanyone wanting both historical infomation and an understanding o the unchanging nature of Politics!!!

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Jul 30, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history, biography, american-history

Excellent read for lining up all the threads of a great leader's life in a narrative that flows like the story from a novel. Even at 1,000 pages, so much history passed through Truman's hands that major events such as the decision to bomb Hiroshima and the Korean War have to slip by with only a few pages. What comes through as a thread in the whole tapestry is the fundamental decency of the man, a pragmatism typical of farmers who face diverse challenges day by day, and a core belief in fairness...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another 5 star for David mcCullough. I really enjoyed this. It was almost 1,000 pages long, but worth it. I was actually sad at the end of the book, when Truman died. It was like it was happening today.

I didn't know much about Truman other than he was president, when I entered grade school and that he was in office during the Korean War. He did real well even if he was a Democrat.

I now put Truman in a class with John Adams, James Madison, and Lincoln.

Here is an exert from a professional reviewer...more

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Nov 27, 2008 Dwight Buffum rated it 5 of 5 stars

I learned that Truman admirably participated in, lead, and presided over many of the momentous events and decisions that transpired as the USA matured from a strapping adolescent to a behemoth superpower. I was struck again and again by Truman's reliance on simple faith, not just religious, integrity, and persistence to guide and carry him and those for whom he was responsible through unparalleled weighty matters and crises. From the decision to use the first atomic bomb to end WW II to the limi...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Lynne King rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biographies

I see that Steve has recently given a marvellous, in-depth review of this splendid biography on Harry S. Truman’s life that I purchased way back on 30 October 1992 (I always date my books for reference) and so I won't even attempt to write a review such as his but then I probably wouldn't have been capable of doing that anyway. This after all is American history.

I had forgotten that I had this book but I had been browsing through another goodreads' author’s books (I always do this if they "like"...more I see that Steve has recently given a marvellous, in-depth review of this splendid biography on Harry S. Truman’s life that I purchased way back on 30 October 1992 (I always date my books for reference) and so I won't even attempt to write a review such as his but then I probably wouldn't have been capable of doing that anyway. This after all is American history.

I had forgotten that I had this book but I had been browsing through another goodreads' author’s books (I always do this if they "like" the same book that I do, and I just like to check on what sort of books they are reading), and saw the picture of Truman on the cover of one of them. Due to that I came across Steve’s review.

It's a large book of 996 pages, excluding the source notes, index and bibliography, and it took me a while to read but it was absolutely riveting. The only thing that I didn't like, and I never have, is the use of an atomic bomb at Hiroshima and the disastrous consequences. Such a waste of human life but then to put it tritely, that’s war I guess. I am an individual who detests any form of violence (I live in dread of another world war) and/or suffering to human beings and animals. I cannot even intentionally kill an ant, and if there is a downpour and all the worms are hurrying across the roads, I will pick them up, and put them quite a way from the edge of the road up so that cars will not run over them.

Part Three, To the Best of my Ability, from page 345 gives all the background to this horrific act. Can one blame Roosevelt for setting this idea in motion, in retaliation for what happened at Okinawa, prior to his death on April 12, 1945? Also why did Truman delay on the date? Did he subconsciously feel guilty? One will never know I guess.

“The battle of Okinawa still raged. In the end more than 12,000 Americans would be killed, 36,000 wounded. Japanese losses were ten times worse – 110,000 Japanese killed – and as later studies show, civilian deaths (innocent people!) on the island may have been as high as 150,000, or a third of the population."

Was this a game of tit for tat? Could a country decide to do that now in 2013? Would they in fact even dare with the consequences? Look at North Korea recently. That’s a disturbing fact.

“Big bomb dropped on Hiroshima August 5 at 7:15 pm Washington time. First reports indicate complete success which was even more conspicuous than earlier test.” The second sentence sounds so callous.

The dreadful deed had been done. Was the fear that the Russians getting in first the main worry that had brought this about?

Apart from that fact, time permitting, I will reread this brilliantly written book and I highly recommend it.
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Mar 24, 2013 Reachhigh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Harry S. Truman inherited the presidency upon the death of one of the most popular presidents in history, Franklin D. Roosevelt, during the climax of one of America’s greatest struggles. He made the difficult decisions that brought World War II to a close with the bang of nuclear power. He propelled George C. Marshall, the nation’s best, but least known, General, to the success that won him a Nobel Peace Prize and fired the nation’s best known general, Douglas MacArthur, for the insubordination...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars

Born and raised in Northwest Missouri, with my entire extended family based in Independence, Harry S. Truman was always a subtle presence in my life: my mom went to Truman High School, my grandparents live off Truman Road, I applied to Truman University, and I took educational field trips to the Truman Library. However, despite all of that, I felt like I had no real knowledge of on of the most tumultuous presidencies in the history of our country.

In his not quite eight years as President, Truma...more Born and raised in Northwest Missouri, with my entire extended family based in Independence, Harry S. Truman was always a subtle presence in my life: my mom went to Truman High School, my grandparents live off Truman Road, I applied to Truman University, and I took educational field trips to the Truman Library. However, despite all of that, I felt like I had no real knowledge of on of the most tumultuous presidencies in the history of our country.

In his not quite eight years as President, Truman made infamous decisions that shaped the world. He was hand-chosen as VP by people who knew that he would be Commander in Chief before the end of the term, entered the office after the death of FDR, and was immediately faced with the ending of World War II. He made the controversial decisions regarding the atomic bomb and entering into the Korean war, as well as enacted the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine that benefitted millions of people.

While President Truman made many good decision, he also made poor decisions - decisions that were guided by his unshakeable belief that everyone around him was honest and selfless. He made many people angry and his temper often got the better of him, but he was a loyal friend and (almost) always willing to forgive and forget. However, poor decisions can be attributed to even the best of Presidents, and a better judge of a man is how he owns up to his mistakes and seeks to fix them.

Harry Truman, the man, was completely devoted to his wife and daughter. He and Bess seemed to compliment each other very well even though she was never a fan of being in the spotlight. President Truman remained true to his roots, knew what it was like to not be born into privilege as so many public officials are, was an extremely intelligent man even though not formally educated, and constantly stove to make decisions he believed were morally right and to the benefit of the United States and the world.

While Truman's presidency and life is not without flaws, I think he was an admirable President who made hard decisions that other men wouldn't have been able to - and always, the buck stopped with him. I highly recommend this book (okay, epic tome) to anyone who is wanting to learn more about US history. Truman makes for interesting reading and McCullough brings history to life as few other authors can, well deserving of the Pulitzer.(less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm no historian, but I enjoy hearing about it. David McCullough hasn't disappointed me yet. He has a wonderful voice, and always makes the story come to life when he speaks.
I knew so little about Truman before this book. What a wonderful man he was. Typical politicians that love to lie to get what they want make me cringe. Harry Truman wasn't that kind of man. I bet I would have enjoyed meeting him, had we lived in the same time.
His surprising rise to the presidency is truly astonishing. So muc...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Tom Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chapter 1: son of the middle border - !, how could I not read this book - and it starts in Missouri, where Ulysses S. Grant started his Civil War years.
Truman by David McCullough
Post WWII - an incredibly difficult time – I can remember the A-bomb scare – my uncle built an underground fallout shelter – 1952, I turned 5 so the a-bomb and communism were more memories of the Eisenhower years (my years: 5 – 13)
HST could not prevent wholesale demobilization leaving Europe in angst
Back then the Repu...more

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Jun 26, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Published by Simon & Schuster Audio in 1992.
Read by David McCullough, the author
Includes parts of recordings of speeches by Harry S. Truman and Douglas MacArthur
Duration: approximately 6 hours
Abridged

While I am a world history teacher, my favorite times in American history are the Revolutionary War Era, the Civil War Era and an interest in the Frontier as it moved across the United States. While I knew a great deal about Truman before listening to this audiobook, I really felt that I needed...more

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May 10, 2012 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Never understood Truman's background and deep character until I read this book. Growing up in Missouri I was kind of taught that he was a Boss Pendergast foil. McCullough explains the nuances of that relationship. He led an artillery battery in WWI, He needed special glasses to get into the service, turning down a deferment. As an inexperienced, but eager, officer, he told his men: you soldier for me and I'll soldier for you. At the end of the war he brought back every one of his soldiers.

He fa...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Aaron Arnold rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics, biography, history, read-in-2010

I actually put this book down for months about halfway through, even though it made me respect Truman a lot more than I did before. Why didn't I race through it? You see, I had been recommended this book after reading Robert Caro's superlative The Years of Lyndon Johnson series, my current gold standard for biographies. Truman was a walk-on character in Caro's books but he seemed like an interesting guy, and David McCullough, who is a fairly well-known historian (the recent John Adams miniseries...more I actually put this book down for months about halfway through, even though it made me respect Truman a lot more than I did before. Why didn't I race through it? You see, I had been recommended this book after reading Robert Caro's superlative The Years of Lyndon Johnson series, my current gold standard for biographies. Truman was a walk-on character in Caro's books but he seemed like an interesting guy, and David McCullough, who is a fairly well-known historian (the recent John Adams miniseries was an adaption of one of his many award-speckled works), won a Pulitzer in 1993 for this thousand-page epic. While it was a fairly impressive biography, I have a few nits to pick. Firstly, it skips over a lot of context that would really enrich the book, like more details of the fight over Truman's attempts to introduce national health insurance. Given that this defeat is still having tectonic effects on American politics, its relative neglect was unforgivable, and there were a few other points where I felt that McCullough was passing up the big picture. Secondly, at the same time it's chock full of minutiae that feel pointless, like McCullough is just tossing in diary entries for the heck of it. Obviously he's too talented of a historian to do that so maybe it's just me, but see for yourself. Thirdly, McCullough is extremely interested in the personal habits of a guy who, in my honest opinion, is just not that interesting. I came away thinking Truman was an upstanding guy and a good President, but he doesn't exactly leap off the page. Fourthly, McCullough tosses in just a bit too much of that eye-rolling stuff about how Midwesterners and their homespun small-town Missouri heartland values just can't cotton to those snake-eyed Yankee city boys from back East and blah blah blah. I can't stand that shit, even if apparently that's what Truman was actually like. So I found it simultaneously too brief and too bloated, without the soaring epochal arcs I had hoped for. But it was pretty good overall, and it was certainly faithful to its underrated subject.(less)

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Nov 30, 2011 Jeremy Perron rated it 5 of 5 stars

David McCullough in the Pulitzer Prize winning work recreates the fiery Harry S. Truman for his readers. Once dismissed as just an accidental president, Harry Truman was considered to be just a seat warmer for the next commander-in-chief. Truman would prove to be one of the nation's best, leading the United States out of World War II and into the early days of the Cold War. McCullough's writes with the same brilliant narrative in this work that I had found in when I read his 1776.

I have to admi...more

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Oct 31, 2011 John Frazier rated it 4 of 5 stars

For years I've looked at this book on the shelves, wanting to know more about Harry Truman but wondering what on earth about his story could warrant a thousand pages of prose. Now I know.

As much a chronicle of the times of his life as it his lifetime, this is a fascinating look at the man who found himself as the leader of the free world when that term was most in jeopardy. From his days on the family farm to WWI to his own business as a haberdasher to the senate to the White House and beyond, t...more For years I've looked at this book on the shelves, wanting to know more about Harry Truman but wondering what on earth about his story could warrant a thousand pages of prose. Now I know.

As much a chronicle of the times of his life as it his lifetime, this is a fascinating look at the man who found himself as the leader of the free world when that term was most in jeopardy. From his days on the family farm to WWI to his own business as a haberdasher to the senate to the White House and beyond, this is a nuanced yet inviting look at a president I long viewed as the one between Roosevelt and Eisenhower, neither of whom, it could be argued, faced the quantity or caliber of decisions Truman was forced to make (most of the time with clarity, conviction and, as history has shown, correctness).

He was neither the most dynamic nor the most eloquent but, as it turns out, his straightforward "give 'em hell, Harry" approach was what the United States and many of its allies needed most at the time. And they got it in large doses. He was handed WWII, which he ended about as decisively as it could've been, then dealt with the continuing encroachment of our former ally Russia in the years immediately following, when he issued the Truman Doctrine and supported the Marshall Plan. He wasn't through them yet, however, as they loomed in the background during the Korean War.

Even then he was in favor of a national healthcare plan, and his fight for civil rights, often juxtaposed with less-than-politcally-correct language, shows a man who nonetheless tried to put the law before some of his own views.

For all the facts McCullough imparts, he does so in a manner neither scholarly nor pedantic. Personal correspondence plays an invaluable role in showing more sides to Harry S. than we'd probably see elsewhere, and it makes me thankful that his family and friends saw fit to keep so much of it, eventually to be shared with all of us.

Don't be discouraged by the volume of this volume. It's very much worth reading.(less)

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Oct 17, 2011 Christopher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

It's been a little while since I read a book by Mr. McCullough and, somehow, I had forgotten what a great storyteller he is. In his largest biography, Mr. McCullough brings you closer to mirroring his subject than any other writer I have yet read. His subject: Harry S. Truman, America's greatest common-man president. Starting with the tale of his grandparents' trials in mid-19th century Missouri, Truman covers a vast timeline in a masterful way. Mr. McCullough's choice of tales always adds color...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Melise Gerber rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-non-fiction

I was floored by this book. Although I studied American History in college and graduate school, I never seemed to make it past the Depression, and so I really had very little concept of what Harry Truman had accomplished.

What was most incredible to me is how much Truman (at least in McCullough's retelling) was truly willing to do what he thought was best for his constituents--whether that was his local district, or the entire country--no matter how much it might impact his political future.

In a...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Matt Hines rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I own and have read several biographies of Harry Truman,and this is by far the best of them all. David McCullough's style is conversational, personable, and this great American story draws you in as if you were living near Independence, MO at the turn of the twentieth century.

Harry Truman was an unusual breed of leader, but one that was quintessential of our Midwest: sturdy, hard working, pious and ever optimistic of this country. Though he is the only president who didn't go to college, he had...more I own and have read several biographies of Harry Truman,and this is by far the best of them all. David McCullough's style is conversational, personable, and this great American story draws you in as if you were living near Independence, MO at the turn of the twentieth century.

Harry Truman was an unusual breed of leader, but one that was quintessential of our Midwest: sturdy, hard working, pious and ever optimistic of this country. Though he is the only president who didn't go to college, he had the intellectual capacity and insight of a man trained in a college setting. He knew what he didn't know and he knew how to learn and when to use the knowledge of others. He also gained an incomparable 'trial by fire' when he served in France during the Great War, giving him an insight into warfare that few others would have who ran the later war.

Life trained him for the high office he'd one day assume. He lived for many years in the home of his difficult mother in law, who never thought he was worthy. He lost a business, lost his family farm to foreclosure, and knew nothing but failure until he entered politics. Though he owed his position in local politics and the Senate to the corrupt Pendergast machine, he remained personally honest.

He rightly was terrified on entering the presidency, but approached the job as one who was used to wielding the levers of power on a global stage. Although it isn't known if he knew the cost of lives in dropping the atomic bomb, we do know he slept well. And although he at first miscalculated Soviet postwar intentions, he didn't hesitate to lay the groundwork of containment and the apparatus he set in motion would eventually help in the collapse of Soviet communism. He also made the right choices in coming to the aid of Berlin and in recognizing the state of Israel when no one else would.

Despite a volcanic temper and petty feelings, he was a man who rose to the occasion of his time. He filled the shoes of his office, and in many ways set the tone of the Cold War which many would follow with differing variations. He also is known for coming from behind in a four way race in 1948, winning reelection when none thought he could. The Marshall Plan, NATO, losing China, McCarthyism, the Korean War, each of them with memories to last a lifetime, but all of them took place in the short span of his second term. And when the time came for him to give up power, citizen Truman gladly returned to his beloved house on Delaware Street in Independence. His is the story of how a leader can do what he can to make the world a better place, and at the end of the day he can go home and walk with his head held high knowing he did all he could to preserve his country and freedom everywhere.

Although my politics are different than his were, I do believe America was blessed to have this man as it's leader in one of our most trying times. America does seem to have been blessed with extraordinary leaders for extraordinary times, and a seemingly ordinary man entered the pantheon of greatness, and showed us how it's done.
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Jan 20, 2011 Corinne rated it 5 of 5 stars

The only thing I knew about Harry Truman before reading this book was a recollection of the famous picture of him holding up a newspaper that read "Dewey Defeats Truman."

I am amazed at Truman's hard work, integrity, and love of people. He wasn't perfect, of course, but there is much in this book to inspire. I never fully understood his contributions to the post-WWII world, such as the Marshall Plan, the Truman doctrine, containment of atomic bomb, containment of the Cold War, or his courageous...more The only thing I knew about Harry Truman before reading this book was a recollection of the famous picture of him holding up a newspaper that read "Dewey Defeats Truman."

I am amazed at Truman's hard work, integrity, and love of people. He wasn't perfect, of course, but there is much in this book to inspire. I never fully understood his contributions to the post-WWII world, such as the Marshall Plan, the Truman doctrine, containment of atomic bomb, containment of the Cold War, or his courageous decision to champion civil rights more than any president since Abraham Lincoln (up to Truman's time). He was consistently honest, courageous, loyal, and down-to-earth. He loved the "common guy" and championed labor, medicine, and education for all, even when these things were not popular. He wasn't afraid to be unpopular if it meant doing what was right. He was true to his friends and true to his wife. Most all who really knew him couldn't help but fall in love with his optimism, love of life, and kindness (visited one of his secret service agent's wives in the hospital after she had a baby-- he was kind, interested in all his staff).

His early life was interesting-- he had been through many disappointments but never stopped working hard, trying, or being optimistic. Interesting to see how he was raised as well-- with lots of books and love. A real endorsement of the American Dream to watch this farm boy go on to change the world.

In his adult life, his work ethic, devotion to family and friends, morality, optimism, courage, and ability to love and work for the common man were exemplary. It was said ego never got in his way, and pride or vanity didn't influence his decisions, but he did what he felt was right.

He had his flaws, and these are treated as candidly in the book as Truman treated them in real life. He never seemed to have anything to hide. (One famous flaw was his notoriously colorful language, supposedly picked up serving in WWI)

Interesting to see the difference between his personality and Roosevelt's-- whom he replaced. I left with an added respect for Truman and a lessening in my respect for Roosevelt (he had been one of my favorite presidents before reading this book).

It made me sad that the press and the country were so hard on him at times, and also that history has largely left him behind in favor of those who did play the political games. Amazing how not playing the games, not being a flashy or wealthy or vain president actually hurt his publicity in the long and short run, yet not, in my estimation, when one knows all the facts, as I now do!

I found this book just as inspirational and informative as McCullough's other books, yet this one did bog down in the middle. He still displays the gift for storytelling, yet its not quite as riveting as some of his other books. I found myself wishing he had abridged this a bit (992 pages--whew!), but when one considers the amount of work he put into this book, its length is forgivable. He spent 10 years writing this and delving into the massive amount of information available (1300 letters from Truman to his wife alone in a 30 year stretch). He also interviewed Truman's daughter and others who worked with Truman. Considering the subject and McCullough's work and talents I'd say the Pulitzer he received for his writing is well justified.

Inspiring and informative book. (less)

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Dec 21, 2010 Stephen Escalera rated it 5 of 5 stars

When it comes to making history not only readable, but intriguing, nobody writes better than David McCullough. Many of his books chronicle people, places or events that don't really seem to stick out as being fascinating. But once you start reading any one of McCullough's books, you are drawn into the subject matter, compelled to read and learn about subjects that you might not otherwise ever read about. You don't simply read a McCullough book. You experience it. My introduction to McCullough's...more When it comes to making history not only readable, but intriguing, nobody writes better than David McCullough. Many of his books chronicle people, places or events that don't really seem to stick out as being fascinating. But once you start reading any one of McCullough's books, you are drawn into the subject matter, compelled to read and learn about subjects that you might not otherwise ever read about. You don't simply read a McCullough book. You experience it. My introduction to McCullough's work was in his biography of John Adams, our country's second president and a key figure in the founding of the nation. After finishing this, I quickly devoured 1776, The Great Bridge, and The Johnstown Flood. I would highly recommend each of these books.

Like Adams, Harry S. Truman had the misfortune of succeeding a legendary figure. While Adams presided under the shadow of George Washington, Truman had to undergo the scrutiny of an American public who had been led through many great trials by the great Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman proved that, while he was no FDR, he was certainly his own man and very well capable of holding his own during the many conflicts of his own presidency.

In Truman, we are brought into his story well before his birth as McCullough fills us in on the details of his family heritage. We follow Truman through his childhood, his stint as a gallant officer during World War I, his romancing of and subsequent marriage to Bess Wallace, and his rise up and into the political world. McCullough does an excellent job of covering several controversial topics such as the Marshall Plan, the Korean Conflict, the Manhattan Project, McCarthyism, and the firing of Gen. Douglas MacArthur without getting bogged down in presenting his own opinions on these matters, instead letting the historical accounts speak for themselves. We are treated to the often exciting, edge-of-your-seat workings of political campaigning, including Truman's first presidential nomination as well as his momentous and astounding defeat of Thomas Dewey.

At well over 1,000 pages, Truman is a hefty read. But being already familiar with McCullough's style, I knew it would be a great read and I was not disappointed. Not being a historian nor familiar with this period of U.S. history, I can't speak to the factual accuracy of the book's events. But once again, McCullough does a masterful job of bringing the person off the written page to the point where you feel like you know the person himself. By the end of the book and upon the account of Truman's death, I felt like I had lost a friend. Truman is an excellent biography, an inspirational story and one that will have you keeping late hours just to read one more page.(less)

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Apr 23, 2009 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reading, biography, history

An extremely solid, well researched, and well written biography about one of the few "common men" who have risen to the Presidency. A son of farmers, Truman was a solid line officer in World War I, but did little that would show the kind of future he was to have. An unsuccessful businessman, a moderately successful local politician, and the product of Boss Pendergrast's Kansas City machine, Harry Truman turned out to be so much more than his background.

What may have been the most surprising par...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Ob-jonny rated it 5 of 5 stars

A concise, matter-of-fact biography of Harry Truman. It gave me for the first time the understanding of how far Truman had come to be president. He really was an everyman that became an unlikely president. His story is the type that current day politicians often try to pretend is their own. I wish people like Truman could be elected today. He had basically been a farmer until age 33 when he came into his own by becoming a infantry captain in WWI. Previous presidents had been aristocrats relative...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Larry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Lifted from my review at Amazon.com
While it's Ok for a historian to like the subject of the biography, he should not love him. David McCullough likes Harry Truman a bit too much. As a result he seldom takes a critical view of Truman's Presidency, politics or personal life. This is disappointing given that Harry Truman was the President at probably the key juncture of twentieth century - the end of War World II and the beginning of the Cold War. More time is spent describing the whistle-stop camp...more Lifted from my review at Amazon.com
While it's Ok for a historian to like the subject of the biography, he should not love him. David McCullough likes Harry Truman a bit too much. As a result he seldom takes a critical view of Truman's Presidency, politics or personal life. This is disappointing given that Harry Truman was the President at probably the key juncture of twentieth century - the end of War World II and the beginning of the Cold War. More time is spent describing the whistle-stop campaign of 1948 then in explaining the development of the containment strategy of Soviet expansion. He also dismisses Secretary of State Dean Acheson's January 1950 omission of South Korea as being in the United States defense perimeter as being the inspiration of the subsequent attack that June by North Korean forces. While it may not have been the inspiration, that statement along with troop withdraws in 1948 and 1949 were hardly discouragements.

Yes, Harry was the common man who became President but McCullough glosses over the reasons for Henry Wallace being replaced by Truman as V.P. on the 1944 ticket. McCullough tells us that many Southern Democrats and city bosses were uncomfortable with Wallace, especially given Roosevelt's health. But the reader is left wondering why they were uncomfortable. Indeed many Democratic leaders were worried that Wallace and his advisors were too sympathetic to the Soviets and that "moderate" Harry Truman would take a tougher post-war stand against them than would Wallace.

Still, McCullough has a good literary style and his account often reads more like a novel than a biography. This is especially true early in the book when he describes Truman ancestors, background and upbringing in western Missouri. And when he weaves in little ancedotes about Truman's personal life both before and during his time in the White House, McCullough is at his best.

Harry S Truman was a genuine American, a patriot and a good President at a pivotal time in U.S. history. He deserves a more critical examination of his life and Presidency. After all "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Harry could stand the heat and give them hell back. David McCullough ought to know that. (less)

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Jan 10, 2010 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had read McCullough’s John Adams and knew that I loved his writing style. Last year when I was on my biography kick, my brother-in-law, Mark, recommended this book. I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Harry Truman.

The fact that he was president the year I was born is significant. I was fascinated with the broad brush strokes historical background that McCullough studiously and scrupulously provides. This book won the Pulitzer Prize – and no wonder. At 1000+ pages, it is crammed full...more
I had read McCullough’s John Adams and knew that I loved his writing style. Last year when I was on my biography kick, my brother-in-law, Mark, recommended this book. I have to admit that I didn’t know much about Harry Truman.

The fact that he was president the year I was born is significant. I was fascinated with the broad brush strokes historical background that McCullough studiously and scrupulously provides. This book won the Pulitzer Prize – and no wonder. At 1000+ pages, it is crammed full of facts, quotes, anecdotes, and history. But above all readers emerge with a deep sense of Harry Truman, the man.

Exhaustive, meticulously researched, this book invites you in to follow Truman’s life. We learn about the early days, his work on his father’s farm, his late start in the political process; we see him as a soldier in WWI in the Verdun, his unique style of campaigning for the senate; he becomes FDR’s Vice-president and President upon FDR’s death. He was eulogized in the senate “as the president who had faced the momentous decision of whether to use the atomic bomb, praised for the creation of the United Nations, for the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the recognition of Israel, NATO, for committing American forces in Korea and for upholding the principle of civilian control over the military. . .” (p. 990) One feels a witness to all of these moments of history as McCullough draws us in detail by detail.

Another quote:
Born in the Gilded Age, the age of steam and gingerbread Gothic, Truman had lived to see a time of lost certainties and rocket trips to the moon. The arc of his life spanned more change in the world than in any prior period in history. A man of nineteenth-century background, he had had to face many of the most difficult decisions of the unimaginably different twentieth century. A son of rural, inland America, raised only a generation removed from the frontier and imbued with the old Jeffersonian ideal of a rural democracy, he had had to assume command of the most powerful industrial nation on earth at the very moment when that power, in combination with stunning advances in science and technology, had become an unparalleled force in the world. The responsibilities he bore were like those of no other president before him, and he more than met the test. (p. 991)

An amazingly readable journey – definitely LONG, no question about that, but fascinating every step of the way. It’s Truman in the spotlight but with US and world history as a backdrop.

Now I’m looking for more biographies of this ilk. Suggestions?
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About David McCullough

David Gaub McCullough is an American author, narrator, historian, and lecturer. He is a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian award.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, McCullough earned a degree in English literature from Yale University. His first book was The Johnstown Flood (1968); a...more

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“He loved politics in large part exactly because it meant time spent with men like Cactus Jack Garner(who would be remembered for observing that the vice presidency was not worth a pitcher of warm piss).” — 1 person liked it

“When a bill was put before the state legislature in Jefferson City that would have prohibited anyone who owned a saloon from holding elective office and reporters asked what he thought of it, Alderman Jim said probably the bill was intended as a way of improving the reputation of saloonkeepers.” — 1 person liked it

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