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The Man

Irving Wallace

4.08 · Rating details · 1,408 ratings · 88 reviews

The time is 1964. The place is the Cabinet Room of the White House. An unexpected accident and the law of succession have just made Douglass Dilman the first black President of the United States.

This is the theme of what was surely one of the most provocative novels of the 1960s. It takes the reader into the storm center of the presidency, where Dilman, until now an almost ...more

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Paperback, 768 pages

Published December 1st 1999 by iBooks (first published January 1st 1964)

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· 1,408 ratings · 88 reviews

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Mar 27, 2008 Roy rated it really liked it

I decided to read this book after learning of it when Colin Powell was thinking about running for President. Obtaining a copy proved to be a challenge in itself (this must have been before I was internet savvy), but after searching in a number of bookstores and libraries I finally found one in The Strand. With the book finally in my possession would it end up being worth my effort to obtain it? Fortunately it lived up to the hype. Now that Barack Obama is running for President this compelling no ...more

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Nov 10, 2009 Shonali rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2009-reads, i-own, poltical-fiction, fiction

The Man by Irving Wallace is my dad’s recommendation. The by line of the book said, ” You are cordially invited to the Impeachment Trial of America’s First Black President” I was hooked and by the end of the book,was totally floored.

This book published in 1964 , talked about a black president and also a impeachment trial . Looks as if Wallace prophesied future , because a impeachment trial was held for a president 35 years later but for nearly same reasons as depicted in the book..

The book is ce ...more

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Dec 18, 2008 Alie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: novels, politics

The novel is one of the finest novels I've ever read. It's about the first Afro-American who happened and/or accidentally became the president of the United States of America. Though, the novel was written almost five decades ago, its relevance is timeless. It's always true that liberty is the only thing you can not have, unless you are willing to give it to others. I hope Barack Obama read the novel.
...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Miriam rated it it was amazing

The rascism continues today in the anti Obama media and books. There are still far too many Americans who have not left their bigotry behind them.

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Sep 18, 2018 Russell J. Sanders rated it it was amazing

In the 1960s, when I first discovered the works of writer Irving Wallace, I was thoroughly entranced. But I also felt that he was one of those best-selling novelists who could tell a good story but would never be among the great authors, the literary giants. Oh, how wrong I was. Flash to over fifty years later, and I have re-read two of his works, The Word and The Man. I found The Word to be a painstakingly researched, very topical novel even after having been written so long ago. But The Man? I In the 1960s, when I first discovered the works of writer Irving Wallace, I was thoroughly entranced. But I also felt that he was one of those best-selling novelists who could tell a good story but would never be among the great authors, the literary giants. Oh, how wrong I was. Flash to over fifty years later, and I have re-read two of his works, The Word and The Man. I found The Word to be a painstakingly researched, very topical novel even after having been written so long ago. But The Man? It is 739 pages of electricity, a tale that speaks to us today as powerfully as it spoke to its 1960s audience. Obviously, it is somewhat dated: women are referred to as girls, everyone smokes like chimneys in all the hallowed halls, including the White House, and the “n” word is spat out liberally, as well as many other racial epithets that are offensive today and should have been offensive back then. Fine literature, however, transcends the era in which it was written and speaks to its audience in any decade. The Man tells the story of an African American senator—a rarity in its time—who, because of a series of deaths and the laws of our nation, becomes President of the United States. And, of course, there are multitudes who don’t think he is capable of the task simply because of his skin color. We see those attitudes rearing their ugly heads daily, even though we are now in the 21st century, and the political machinations seem timely and believable, based on what we read in the news about our current American president. This is a novel that flies by, is totally engrossing, and beautifully constructed. Yes, by our current standards, some of the descriptions go on and on, but unlike those passages in The Word, where I admit I skimmed a bit, these all seem perfectly fashioned to build whatever the mood or tension is needed. The Man is magnificent, and it deserves two things: to be read by modern audiences and to be filmed by a dynamic filmmaker who can give it the treatment it deserves. ...more

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Feb 04, 2019 A Man Called Ove rated it it was amazing

On my visits to the library, I had noticed that there is a shelf that contains Irving Wallace books printed on coarse recycled paper. His wikipedia page gave me the impression that he wrote pulp fiction - sort of Sidney Sheldon or Harold Robbins.
In this book, a "negro" (as the term has been used in those politically incorrect days) becomes the unelected President of the United States due to circumstances. I remember reading that both Obama (race) and Julia Gillard (gender, Australian PM) had to ...more

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Nov 19, 2008 Mary rated it it was amazing

This book is from the 1970s. I read it the first time it was out. I just got the Readers Digest version and read it again. This book was quite well written and was not received well at all when it was released. The story is about a black man who becomes President of the US. All the people are against him and he has many problems with his presidency. It is a very good book and I hope that Obama has read it! I would recommend it so everyone.

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Jan 02, 2013 Sheila rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Sheila by: myself

Shelves: a-favorites, irving-wallace

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was named The Man it seems due to Mr Zeke Miller calling President Douglas Dillman the beast to be impeached and removed from office. Followed by an excellent definition presented by President`s counsel Mr Nat Abraham, the difference between four legged beast and a man standing on two limbs irrelevant of colour or race.

An Original manuscript, written firmly with pen on cheap paper and signed by Negro slave:
``In a composite Nation like ours, made up of almost every variety of the human This book was named The Man it seems due to Mr Zeke Miller calling President Douglas Dillman the beast to be impeached and removed from office. Followed by an excellent definition presented by President`s counsel Mr Nat Abraham, the difference between four legged beast and a man standing on two limbs irrelevant of colour or race.

An Original manuscript, written firmly with pen on cheap paper and signed by Negro slave:
``In a composite Nation like ours, made up of almost every variety of the human family, there should be, as before the Law, no rich, no poor, no high, no low, no black, no white, but one country, one citizenship, equal rights and common destiny for all.

A Government that cannot or does not protect the humblest citizen, in his right to life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness should be reformed or overthrown, without delay.``

Frederick Douglass
Washington D.C- Oct 20, 1883

Amazing this book was written in an era of open segregation in USA. There is visible and invisible racism. It still exists in a different form.

An accidental President Douglas Dillman, not an elected as President Obama, faced discrimination within the government, which results in his impeachment. It seems for selfish personal gain of a few individuals a plot was created to destroy family, friends and supporters of the head of state by solemnly declaring it is best for the country and citizens. Dillman was impeached for his race and colour. President Obama could be facing similar issues and wonder how he addresses these issues.

Personally I felt Sally Watson character was not necessary for this story. She claims that President tried to rape her and her testimony at the hearing of impeachment was boring to the point that I avoided further reading for a day. Wanda Gibson was a very strong character with many others.

There have been two presidents in the history of America (Andrew Johnson in 1868 and recently William J Clinton in 1998) who were impeached, however neither of them was removed from office as they were not convicted.

It is my favorite book (this was my re read) and I would recommend to interested readers, as long as reader is interested in politics and impeachment process. Plot is great and it is a page turner. Though there are 768 pages it was worth my time.
...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Theophilus (Theo) rated it really liked it

Way, way back, before Barack Obama, there was Douglas Dillman. An African American senator becomes president after several catastrophic events. What will the United States do? Takes place in the late sixties or early seventies. Militant black activists, Southern Dixiecrats, secret pacts within the American government, even secrets within his own family attempt to influence and even remove Douglas Dillman from the white house. Will he perservere? Will the American people accept an African America ...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Pam rated it it was amazing

What a difficult time I had getting this BOOK,it's out of print_which made me want it more!Finally,from Amazon.com!Reading a couple of other bks now_can't wait to get started on this one!

UPDATE! Completed this book_BUT wanted to read it all over again..probably will...yes it was that good.

The thing is for Irving Wallace to have such insight in "1964"(when published)to write about what an African-American was likely to face while serving as President_is amazing!

For it to be EXACTLY what current P ...more

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May 26, 2012 Amogh rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 12, 2010 Dad rated it it was amazing

Best book I ever read. I've read it four or five times and will read it again soon. ...more

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Jun 09, 2018 Judy rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-from-1964, 20th-century-fiction

What an interesting book! It was #5 on the 1964 bestseller list and is an alternate history political novel.

The time is a bit in the future for 1964, post JFK and LBJ, when an unexpected accident kills the current fictional POTUS. The Vice President had died 10 days earlier of a massive coronary. The Speaker of the House died in the same accident that killed the President. So, according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947, the next in line for President was President Pro Tempore of the S ...more

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May 17, 2017 Beverly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The book was long and some of the legal snippets were more lengthy than what my attention span could hold onto, but I really enjoyed the book. Mr. Wallace was way before his time in writing such a forward thinking story.

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Jun 30, 2020 Narayanan Kanagarajan rated it really liked it

The Man by Irving Wallace (1965)

The subjugation, discrimination and segregation of the Blacks by the Whites defies logic and natural justice. Is the pigmentation the fault of a human being? The intensity of this disdain of the Whites towards the Negroes was felt, of all the countries in the planet of the earth, more in America and South Africa, the southernmost country of African continent - ‘the Dark Continent’ - as was taught in history books- over generations. The intensity was prevalent upto The Man by Irving Wallace (1965)

The subjugation, discrimination and segregation of the Blacks by the Whites defies logic and natural justice. Is the pigmentation the fault of a human being? The intensity of this disdain of the Whites towards the Negroes was felt, of all the countries in the planet of the earth, more in America and South Africa, the southernmost country of African continent - ‘the Dark Continent’ - as was taught in history books- over generations. The intensity was prevalent upto three quarters of the last century. Unfortunate indeed that the entire continent itself was branded ‘Dark’ on account of coloration. Over the centuries, regrettably, the connotation of Black was considered to mean degradation, subservience, diffidence, a sign portending disaster, poverty, bruteness, uncouth behaviour, incompetence, indecency and the list is endless. Even now Blacks are considered inferior in the white world, perhaps, in a much lesser degree due to so many social upheavals that the world had witnessed in the last two centuries. Quite surprising is the strong belief that White is the antithesis of all the above qualities! Gross injustice had been meted out to the Black population for no fault of theirs. Our eyes are black and white. Can we separate or quarantine the black part of the eye from its white part? And who knows whether God is a White or Black?

This effusion on my part is perhaps due to my obsession, having lasted a couple of weeks just gone by, with a classic by Irving Wallace, the popular American novelist, who gave it to the reading public in the mid-sixties this wonderful fiction. He titled his prophecy *The Man*. And The Man is an Afro-American - the hero of the novel - who becomes the President of the U.S.A. by accident.

The synopsis of the story:

The American President T.C is in Frankfurt with Vice President and his entourage, busy in a high-level talks with his Soviet counterpart to sort out differences arising out of the alleged Soviet intervention in some tiny African nations and America’s proposed economic aid to one nation. At the White House, P.A to the President, who couldn’t accompany the President due to some personal reasons, Secretary of State, Governor and a few powerful Senators are present. The President is narrating the developments of the talks he had with the Soviet President over hotline to them. Suddenly the line snapped and talk ceased. The security people are trying to fix the problem. But the problem persists beyond a reasonable time. A few hours pass with the line still dead. Then the tragic news is received by the White House office. The President is fatally trapped in the palace where he is staying and the Vice President is seriously injured. Later in the evening, Vice President succumbs to his injuries. What a great tragedy to America!

The mantle of Presidentship falls on a Black Senator. As President pro tempore, he takes the reins of administration as per U. S. Succession Act. In a country where the Black’s population is just ten per cent, the incumbent, with just eighteen months remaining of the ex-President’s full term of four years, is enmeshed in a lot of problems from both personal and official angles. The author shows The Man as a craven, diffident and a puppet of the ex-President’s advisers. His wife and grown up daughter leave him, as their skin is white (his wife is a mulatto and as a result, their daughter also). His wife, addicted to heavy drinking, loses her life miserably. His daughter’s whereabouts are not known. His son is studying in a university, pursuing law. The President is reported by the Principal that his son’s academic record leaves much to be desired and that his son is having surreptitious contacts with a militant outfit supporting the cause of Negroes. The President finds solace in a lady, whose intelligence and sobriety keep him in good stead. He gradually gains strength, confidence and assertiveness, trying to maintain his composure. His other supporting hand is his bosom friend, a White attorney fighting for the cause of the Blacks. Both were law college mates. The leading newspapers owned by some powerful White Senators are vituperative of his style of functioning and his very being at the helm. Majority of the white Senators are critical and inducing Secretary of State and Governor to stop assisting him. The President vetos the Minorities Rehabilitation Bill passed by the Senate as he finds some major flaws in the bill. The militant outfit is indulging in violence killing some white people. Some miscreants are caught and put behind the bars. The Judge is sentencing the alleged - now accused - criminals to death. Enraged by this judgement, the Judge is abducted by the leader of the militant outfit. A scuffle takes place and the Judge is killed in the encounter. The leader of the militant outfit is arrested and after some legal battle, he is put on death row. The President bans the outfit. The Clemency Petition to convert the death sentence into life imprisonment is rejected by him. There is an abortive attempt on President’s life. In the melee, the President’s security guard is grievously injured. The President escapes unhurt. The lady love of Secretary of State, upon whose recommendation, she is appointed as Social Secretary to the President, is caught red handed by the President in his bedroom while stealing some confidential notes. Her father is a Senator. Faced with a predicament situation, she turns the bullets against the innocent Man. Tearing off her dress and skin, she narrates her harrowing experience to the Secretary of State, Governor and a belligerent Senator who owns a much popular daily among the Whites. The President, next day morning, sacks Secretary of State. Enraged, the wounded Official joins the opposing group. They think it is ripe time to impeach him. The lady love of the Secretary of State feels she is cheated by him upon finding that his estranged wife joins him. She is drunk and in a deranged condition. Her Senator father admits her in an hospital. He comes to know of the truth that President hasn’t misbehaved with his daughter and it was her making.

The Senate is bringing the Impeachment motion against the President. The excruciating trial is on. President’s dependable friend is defending the President. The entire nation is watching. Just by one vote, the President, the Black leader, The Man wins the trial and thus the story ends on a happy note. The deciding vote was cast by the Senator father of the deranged lady.

A very long story with the main plot growing in a healthy way with some subplots nourishing it . Quite interesting to read.

He threads all the episodes neatly. Conversations between him and his lawyer friend, between him and the Soviet leader in an idyllic place near Paris, his press meet emotionally and effectively defending her daughter when she finds herself in a calumny published in newspapers, the moving scenes in the hospital when he awards the great medal to the security guard who saved his life are all interestingly written. His daughter joins him and his son is on the right track. His female partner comes to the White House and congratulates her sweetheart in a meaningful way with all smiles in her face and in her lover’s face, too.

‘The Man’ bids adieu to his bosom friend.

We also bid farewell tearfully to the characters of the wonderful novel.

His prophesy did come true when America elected Barack Obama as their 44th Chief in 2009. He was the first African-American President of the United States of America. ...more

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Nov 14, 2008 Laurie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Laurie by: my dad

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Wow! I really loved this book. It was a bit long (more than 700 pages) but if you can get past that, I think you'll really enjoy this book.

It's a fascinating story: 1960s, the president and vice-president both die, the next guy in line for the presidency is an African-American senator. There are so many characters and subplots, that it's almost hard to keep track at first, but then you begin to see how it all fits together and the challenges that everyone is facing. There is racism. There is ro ...more

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Dec 31, 2015 Justin George rated it it was amazing

The book surprised me with its way of presenting the facts. Dealing a sensitive issue practised by our forefathers from the beginning of civilised life, whose stubs still active in human hearts as mild dissentient based on body colour. Through the thoughts of two African American characters Dilman and Nat, Wallace derive the intensity of indignation once existed based on something a person was not at all responsible, but dependent on his genome.

While observing our society which still has demarc ...more

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Jun 04, 2014 Priyanka rated it it was amazing

I absolutely LOVED this book! I am not American and only had a vague idea of the race issues the country faced, and still does. However, I have always loved reading Irving Wallace from the time when I was a teenager and was introduced to the idea of reading fiction with his 'The Word'. It was the first 'adult novel' I ever read in my life and I was totally smitten with it. Since then, my love affair with this author has continued. I was surprised when I found 'The Man' at my library. I had never ...more

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Sep 18, 2007 Ricardo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: black-thriller

This book was so compelling, I could not put it down. I was stationed at Wheelus Air Force base at the time and fortunately I had the next day off because I did not finish it until about 3 am.
I had to buy a second copy for myself because after I started telling my homies (east coast brothers) about it was passed around like crazy.
James Earl Jones did a very grand job with the movie, which was pretty close to the book. The first Black President and all the mess he had to deal with. A beligeren ...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Justin rated it it was ok

Interesting premise, especially considering the era it was written in, but the overall style of the book is exceptionally dated. It reads like an Allen Drury-style Washington manners novel, with all the unrealistic and self-serving excessive dialogue and one-dimensional characters that implies. At about 750 pages, I had to fight myself not to quit between pp 200-350; the last 200 pages I skimmed dialogue looking for plot points. By the time I finished, closing the book brought on a feeling of re ...more

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Nov 06, 2016 Linda Clifford rated it it was amazing

This was a book which I read as a senior in high school in 1966, not because it was required, but because my mother told me about it and I wanted to read it. Irving Wallace, in this book, was decades ahead of his time, giving us a clear picture of the problems an African-American man might encounter if suddenly thrust into the highest office in the land, due to a freak accident and a quirk of fate.

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Apr 26, 2009 Sivaramaprasad Kappagantu added it

What the author wrote some decades back, has come into reality in US. A black has become President. But the write was proved wrong in one way-Obama became President on his own and not by death of others above him.

However, the book is superbly written and especially the impeachment scenes were like a picture before the reader's eyes. ...more

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Nov 30, 2008 Lynnette Kunkle rated it really liked it

Ironically reading this just as the first black President was elected.

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Dec 09, 2008 Cindy rated it liked it

Very interesting read at this point in our history

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Mar 06, 2009 Sreescanda added it

Long before Obama, there was this black President. Great read!

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Mar 26, 2009 Kate added it

Interesting read. Its about the first African American president, but it was written years ago before anyone ever thought that it was a real possibility.

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Nov 29, 2011 Alex Mueck rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Way ahead of its time. Wallace does a great job detailing the political climate in the 1960's as America is accidentally gifted a black President. Powerful ...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Paula rated it liked it

typical wallace novel... read on a recommendation...wasn't disappointed ...more

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May 08, 2020 Whit added it · review of another edition

Douglas Dilman, a black U.S. Senator, by circumstances and a freak accident, becomes president of the United States in this book written in the early 1960's. It is interesting to note that I could not find a copy of this book in either the public library system of East Baton Rouge or Livingston Parish (in South Louisiana) and had to find a used copy online... ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 Bruce Deming rated it liked it

The story seems a bit dated now but makes some valid points such as indicated by the title itself.

I have not read the story completely, though I did read a major portion to try to pick up the direction and plot and points trying to be made by the author.

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About Irving Wallace

Irving Wallace

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Irving Wallace was an American bestselling author and screenwriter. His extensively researched books included such page-turners as The Chapman Report (1960), about human sexuality; The Prize (1962), a fictional behind-the-scenes account of the Nobel Prizes; The Man, about a black man becoming president of the U.S. in the 1960s; and The Word (1972), about the discovery of a new gospel.

Wallace was b ...more