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Book ReviewsTruman |
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Book: Truman
Written by: David McCullough |
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Average Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5
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Fascinating -- Highest Recommendation
Rating:
5 / 5
Two critical means by which to judge an historical work are: 1. Does it inspire you to further research? 2. Does it help you to understand and more effectively participate in the world today? By both these standards, this biography is one of the best I have read.
The ingredients are perfect -- a remarkable man leading the world through a time of incredible upheaval and change, when, as he himself said, the world had not caught up morally with their own technology, in the hands of a top flight historian.
McCullough has researched his subject in breadth & depth. He presents contemporary and evolving points of view from newspapers, letters to the President from the public, foreign leaders and Truman's own associates, resulting in a truly three-dimensional image. This multi-focal handling is especially important in controversial areas in which opinions changed over time such as the decision to use nuclear weapons or to enter into hostilities against N. Korea.
I read a lot of history, espeicially bios, but my secret junk food addiction is Stephen King; when I'm reading a Stephen King book I don't do anything else: I'm late for work because I'm up reading all night, and my friends don't see me. It's a break from the heavy stuff. Never would have guessed a presidential biography could grab me the same way. I want to clone this book so I can loan it to all my friends at once.
Appreciating Harry
Rating:
5 / 5
"Truman" is a first class biography of an American Icon. It is a thorough, well written narrative of a classic American life. David McCollough displays a knack for telling a part of the story and moving on so deftly that the vignettes flow on like a river. Born in Western Missouri into a family proud of its Southern heritage, Truman was molded by challenges and opportunities unique to his time and place. A bright boy, Truman was limited first by near sightedness, and later by glasses which he could not afford to lose. After moving into Independence for a quality high school education, he spent much of his early life working as a farmer near Grandview and in banks in Kansas City, where he met Arthur Eisenhower, brother of his successor. .
In the army Truman established himself as a leader of men. Like Theodore Roosevelt, Truman would never have been president without his army service. After service in a light artillery battery of the Missouri National Guard, Truman, with several reasons to avoid service in World War I, enlisted and rose to the rank of Captain in Battery D of the Second Battalion, 129th Field Artillery. From training at Camp Donaphan through service in France and return to Kansas City, Truman earned the trust and affection of the men who would form the nucleus of his political support.
1919 was a momentous year as Harry married his long time beau, Bess, and, with army buddy, Eddie Jacobson, opened the haberdashery of Truman & Jacobson. Although a hangout for veterans from Battery D, Truman & Jacobson fell victim to the recession and failed in 1922.
Even before the haberdashery failed, a lifeboat arrived under the direction of another Battery D brother, Jim Pendergast. Jim, the nephew of Boss Tom Pendergast and machine representative in eastern Jackson County, solicited Truman as the machine candidate for Eastern Judge of the County Court. Not yet the dominant political power, the Pendergasts needed a popular veteran with a clean record in 1922 as badly as Truman needed them. This enabled Truman to run with Pendergast backing, but not as the machine candidate. After two years in office an alliance between a rival Democratic machine and the Republicans handed Truman his only electoral defeat. In 1926 he was elected presiding judge where his political leadership was evident in road construction and a new courthouse, paid for by the bond issues which he introduced.
Term limited by tradition, Truman was looking for a job in 1934. After being passed over by Tom Pendergast for a Congressional seat and while considering a future run for governor, Jim the machine backing for the U. S. Senate. Surviving another tough primary race, he won and began his career as the much scorned "Senator from Pendergast." Despite the handicaps of his background, Truman gradually won respect from his colleges. The 1940 primary fight against Governor Stork, who he had helped win election in 1936, returned him to the Senate with new respect. Truman distinguished himself through The Truman Committee to Investigate The National Defense Effort. Careful not to repeat the errors of the Civil War Committee On The Conduct Of The War, Truman worked tirelessly to save millions in defense costs.
I had often wondered how, among all of the potential candidates for Vice-President, Truman was chosen. The interplay between Roosevelt, Henry Wallace, James Byrnes, Truman and behind the scenes Democratic operatives is one of the most interesting parts of the book. What emerges is a candidate who had gained the confidence of moderate Democrats who saw him as Presidential Timber.
The only incident of significance during Truman's short Vice-Presidency showed something about his character. Attendance at the funeral of convicted felon Tom Pendergast demonstrated his strong loyalty to friends.
I had known of some of the momentous events of Truman's presidency, but this book shows the nonstop sequence of crises which was thrust upon him. The confrontations at Potsdam, the worry about the development and use of the atomic bomb, the terms of settlement with Japan and the founding of the United Nations were just the beginning. Pent-up industrial unrest unleashed a wave of strikes which confronted the President with labor challenges unparalleled in American history. Soviet pressures in Europe, Jewish-Arab rivalries in Palestine and British financial collapse presented international challenges. The imminent threats which lead to aid to Greece and Turkey and the Marshall Plan are presented better than I have ever seen. The agonies over the Berlin Blockade and Airlift are skillfully told.
The many angles of the 1948 election, in which Truman survived challenges to his nomination, defections to the left and right and a strong Republican challenge are deftly woven into a story which you will not want to put down.
The 1948 victory was truly a summit from which Truman descended for the rest of his life. The second term during which the White House was restored, NATO established, China "lost" and Korea invaded was an era of frustration for a president whose hopes of establishing a "Fair Deal" degenerated into a struggle for survival. Committed to maintaining the gains of the Roosevelt-Truman administrations, Truman's intervention in the 1952 election was depressing as Adlai Stevenson ran away from the Democratic record. Upon his return to Independence, Mr. Citizen learned that he could never be plain old Harry again. His endorsements of Averill Harriman in 1956 and Stuart Symington in 1960 demonstrating his declining influence in party councils.
Throughout the story is the ever supportive Bess, who with Margaret, Harry's mother and sister, Mary, provided him with support that would never desert.
I have read many biographies, as my Amazon reviews document. This is one of the best. Whether you are a fan of "Give `em Hell Harry" or believe that "To Err Is Truman" this book will help you understand and appreciate Truman in a deeper light.
A must read for leaders
Rating:
5 / 5
I picked this book for my Master's students to read. McCullough skillfully goes through Truman's life, lingering on the Presidency. I found his relationship with Churchill, Stalin, FDR, personal staff, and old friends fascinating. However, what I really found interesting was how Truman made his decisions. And how comfortable he was once the decision was made.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in leadership.
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