One of the Better Presidential Biogs

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	• Truman David McCullough Simon & Schuster, 1993 - 1120 pages average customer review:based on 318 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

TRUMAN

Great read, I would reccomend this book to any student of history. Truman the man, was one of the great men of the 20th century.

David McCullough's Truman

Having just finished McCullough's biography of John Adams, I thought I would next read the other book for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, "Truman." I have had a certain admiration for Truman since reading Merle Miller's "Plain Speaking" and remembering newspaper stories of him out walking reporters in Independence in the 1960s. I recommend this book for any fan of American history who wants to learn about one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century. As president, his proposals or decisions continued to affect life in the US long afterward - the Atomic Age, Containment, civil rights, the CIA, universal health care, intervention in Southeast Asia...

As he did in "John Adams," McCullough clearly shows admiration for his subject as a man and president. The book is extensively researched and documented. McCullough spent several years reviewing documents, interviewing relatives, friends, former staff and contemporaries. He was even able to review the infamous Merle Miller interview tapes. The book is filled with many "inside" conversations and details giving color to the major and minor decisions and turning points in Truman's life and career.

I found, however, that the overall story was less compelling than John Adams. As interested as I was in learning about Truman, his early life and how he made his major decisions as president, there were points where the reading dragged. It may have been details that were not really important to the story or unanswered questions. For example, after JFK's funeral, Truman and Eisenhower talked for an hour in Blair House. There is no mention of what they talked about. Was it because there was no record made by anyone? Was it the final stage of the reconciliation between the two that McCullough mentioned late in the book? I think that it is important, but McCullough does not elaborate.

After reading "Truman," I find Truman more of a paradox. He held himself to the highest standards, but tolerated less than scrupulous behavior from his appointments, many times at a high cost to his public image. He was from an inherently conservative small town, but he embraced a liberal political philosophy beyond the "New Deal." He like to say that he was a country boy and that he never wanted to be president, but relished in the attention that the presidency brought him.

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One of the Better Presidential Biogs

Yes, David McCullough may have liked Truman a little too much. That has a positive and negative side. When a biographer appreciates a person and admires his or her accomplishments, the research and readability of the volume can be enhanced. On the negative side, the biographical work can at times be a bit skewed, presenting heroism or greatness without indicating the faults or humanness of the individual.
This is very readable and I must say I enjoyed the book very much. It is also true that the author doesn't delve deeply into issues such as McCarthyism, the dropping of the atom bomb, and other issues he faced which changed the world as we know it. It would have been fascinating to know more about why Truman acted as he did in such situations. I don't necessarily expect biographers to dig up dirt about a subject but readers should at least be given the inside story as much as is knowable.
However, I do definitely recommend this book and believe you will find it well written and informative.

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A Book Every American Should Read

The more US history I read, the more I am astonished how the decisions of one person can impact the course of human events so drastically. Following World War II, the US president was forced to make decisions that would impact the world for the next half century. It just so happened that the man in the White House at the time was a non college-educated regular guy from Missouri.

This book brought to light a period of history that many in my generation (I was born in 1973) probably do not understand as well as they could. Truman, through his force of will, standing up to MacArthur and keeping the Korean war from turning into an all out war with China may have been his greatest achievement.

All of the criticisms of this book, that it is too pro-Truman, that it doesn't delve into the details of the decisions Truman makes enough, are accurate and real. However, what McCullough has done is tell a story of a driven every day man from Missouri, who went to the White House and did the very best he could. It is a remarkable story, told with detail and care. It is also a true American story, and should be read by all.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

A biography of the U.S. president explores Truman's brutal frontier childhood, his education, his dogged optimism, his rise through the ranks of the Pendergast machine that controlled Missouri politics, and more. 100,000 first printing. Tour.

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