chuxsox's review against another edition
4.0
As is his practice, David McCullough has written another amazing, weighty, and thorough, if overly sympathetic, biography. An incredibly well-researched work, Truman is a satisfying look into the life of the 20th Century's American Cincinnatus, covering his pioneer roots, his humble beginnings, his questionable entry into the political arena, his unlikely rise to the presidency, and his return to "normal" life afterward. If one has the patience and endurance, it is an excellent and well-written read.
yoteach87's review against another edition
3.0
After nearly four months of reading, I have finally completed the epic mega book that is "Truman" by David McCullough. Coming in at nearly 1,000 pages it is by far the longest book I've ever read and only the first book I've read dedicated to a single president. While I had hoped to use the newly-gained knowledge on a trip to Independence, MO to the Truman Library in early June, it ended up not working out and completing the book became simply a quest for knowledge. Needless to say, this book is incredibly extensive covering both pre and post-presidencies in at a quicker pace, while stretching Truman's near 8-year presidency over a large chunk of the middle.
Aside from the obvious upper-hand in all Truman-related trivia from here on out, the book provided me with a masterful glimpse into a man I knew hardly anything about. Sure, I knew Truman’s middle name stood simply for “S” and that he succeeded the dead President Roosevelt in 1945, but such historical chapters as the atomic bomb, the beginning of the cold war, and Korea were largely unknown. I came away with an understanding that Truman was an everyman. He wasn’t a “career” politician; he only entered politics when he was 50(!). Here was a guy that ended up in the nation’s highest office by complete misfortune (I absolutely do not think he could have become president any other way); and did a heck of a job in office. Though, at the end of his administration, he was meddling at best in popularity history has been kind to him. Especially given his handling of Korea; refusing to drop nuclear weapons, and preventing the spread of communism in Asia. Sure, he could have handled certain things better, and he lacked the gusto and prestige of a Roosevelt. But he rose to the occasion when called and delivered one of the better administrations of the 20th century.
Now onto the next one.
Aside from the obvious upper-hand in all Truman-related trivia from here on out, the book provided me with a masterful glimpse into a man I knew hardly anything about. Sure, I knew Truman’s middle name stood simply for “S” and that he succeeded the dead President Roosevelt in 1945, but such historical chapters as the atomic bomb, the beginning of the cold war, and Korea were largely unknown. I came away with an understanding that Truman was an everyman. He wasn’t a “career” politician; he only entered politics when he was 50(!). Here was a guy that ended up in the nation’s highest office by complete misfortune (I absolutely do not think he could have become president any other way); and did a heck of a job in office. Though, at the end of his administration, he was meddling at best in popularity history has been kind to him. Especially given his handling of Korea; refusing to drop nuclear weapons, and preventing the spread of communism in Asia. Sure, he could have handled certain things better, and he lacked the gusto and prestige of a Roosevelt. But he rose to the occasion when called and delivered one of the better administrations of the 20th century.
Now onto the next one.
bhgold1711's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
4.75
An excellent biography of a President who I think is often overlooked, but who did a great job with a difficult political and international situation.
gajeam's review against another edition
2.0
This book is whack.
It reads like a mother gushing over her son's performance in a middle school play. Everything that goes right in the Truman presidency was thanks to his own strengths — his capacity for hard work, his straight talking attitude, his limitless charisma. Everything that goes wrong was someone else's fault. Or it was inevitable. Or it actually wasn't as bad as people said. He so often cuts to Truman being cute and lovable (a trip to Mexico, a week off on a steamship with friends, fifty pages on Truman writing his memoir) that the actual history happening gets only a surface level treatment (the Korean War, the Berlin Airlift, McCarthyism.)
Oh, and it's over a thousand pages!? Forget get it. Don't read this thing.
It reads like a mother gushing over her son's performance in a middle school play. Everything that goes right in the Truman presidency was thanks to his own strengths — his capacity for hard work, his straight talking attitude, his limitless charisma. Everything that goes wrong was someone else's fault. Or it was inevitable. Or it actually wasn't as bad as people said. He so often cuts to Truman being cute and lovable (a trip to Mexico, a week off on a steamship with friends, fifty pages on Truman writing his memoir) that the actual history happening gets only a surface level treatment (the Korean War, the Berlin Airlift, McCarthyism.)
Oh, and it's over a thousand pages!? Forget get it. Don't read this thing.
lakecake's review against another edition
5.0
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 during his time, most have been shown to be the right course of action in hindsight. His decision to use the atomic bomb to end World War II lay heavily on conscience, and because of that he was reluctant to ever use it again. Because of this, even with public outcry growing, he refused to use the atomic bomb or the newly developed H-bomb in Korea. Truman was a man of his principles, who put the good of the nation and the people who lived in it before the good of his own public image. I think all of our modern leaders could learn some valuable lessons about public service by following the example of Harrison S. Truman.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
When FDR died in March, 1945, the United States was still knee-deep in the Second World War, and the Democratic party was still recovering from a near defeat in the 1944 Presidential elections. Fast forward to January, 1953, and the United States, the Democratic Party, and indeed the world were in a much different place. What happened during this time? Remarkably, the man in the White House, a Democrat who never completed college, never held a state governorship and was not a member of one of the wealthy American families who dominated politics in the past 100 years, led the country through a quagmire of labor troubles, the beginning of the Cold War and the emergence of the United States as one of the two great world powers of the time.
In his epic biography, David McCollugh follows Truman from his family's emergence in Western Missouri through Truman's adolescence on the farm in Independence, his service in France in the First World War and his fascinating political career. Through it all, the reader gets a great picture of Truman, a man of principle who believed in hard work and the principle that place of government should be to improve the lives of its citizens. McCollugh goes into excruciating detail to discuss Truman's life, his relationships and his career. The reader comes to know Truman in a rather intimate way. In doing so, the reader comes to understand the incredible challenges that faced the man from Independence, challenges that arguably surpassed those of any previous president since Lincoln. Like Lincoln, Truman was an unlikely man to hold sway in those turbulent times. And, like Lincoln, Truman guided the country in a way that exceeded anyone's expectations.
The only criticisms that I would make of this biography are the following two. Firstly, the author is obviously in love with his subject. While one should not expect a biographer to be completely objective with regard to his subject, McCollugh could have provided a more balanced view of Truman. What were the criticisms of Truman's Republican, Progressive and Southern Democratic critics? The author discusses these in only a cursory manner. What about the arguements made by Truman's critics about the loss of so many nations to Communist domination, culminating in the triumph of Mao's Communists in China? Again, McCollugh is light on this topic. McCollugh focuses on the emotional toll that Truman's critics laid upon the President, but ironically he does not adequately describe what those critics had to say.
My only other criticism is the excessive descriptions the author makes of Truman's presidency. He spends many pages discussing in agonizing detail the daily activities of the 1948 presidential campaign, for example. This book could have easily been 300 pages shorter and still have been just as thorough in its treatment of Truman. Just because the author has some compelling documentation from the archives does not require him to insert all of it into his narrative. Sometimes less is more.
Overall, this is an excellent treatment of a very important topic. I recommend it highly.
In his epic biography, David McCollugh follows Truman from his family's emergence in Western Missouri through Truman's adolescence on the farm in Independence, his service in France in the First World War and his fascinating political career. Through it all, the reader gets a great picture of Truman, a man of principle who believed in hard work and the principle that place of government should be to improve the lives of its citizens. McCollugh goes into excruciating detail to discuss Truman's life, his relationships and his career. The reader comes to know Truman in a rather intimate way. In doing so, the reader comes to understand the incredible challenges that faced the man from Independence, challenges that arguably surpassed those of any previous president since Lincoln. Like Lincoln, Truman was an unlikely man to hold sway in those turbulent times. And, like Lincoln, Truman guided the country in a way that exceeded anyone's expectations.
The only criticisms that I would make of this biography are the following two. Firstly, the author is obviously in love with his subject. While one should not expect a biographer to be completely objective with regard to his subject, McCollugh could have provided a more balanced view of Truman. What were the criticisms of Truman's Republican, Progressive and Southern Democratic critics? The author discusses these in only a cursory manner. What about the arguements made by Truman's critics about the loss of so many nations to Communist domination, culminating in the triumph of Mao's Communists in China? Again, McCollugh is light on this topic. McCollugh focuses on the emotional toll that Truman's critics laid upon the President, but ironically he does not adequately describe what those critics had to say.
My only other criticism is the excessive descriptions the author makes of Truman's presidency. He spends many pages discussing in agonizing detail the daily activities of the 1948 presidential campaign, for example. This book could have easily been 300 pages shorter and still have been just as thorough in its treatment of Truman. Just because the author has some compelling documentation from the archives does not require him to insert all of it into his narrative. Sometimes less is more.
Overall, this is an excellent treatment of a very important topic. I recommend it highly.
goodvibes22's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
mantissabolt's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
zenithharpink's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a DENSE read-and it took me far longer than I'd originally expected to get through it, but it was such a great read that I couldn't stand to increase my pace.
Truman was a great and a good man, and it was inspiring to read about his life and character-McCullough has a great skill at creating a story-like narrative out of a biography. Rigorously researched and painstakingly thorough, this is a well-deserved 1000 page read. I enjoyed every minute of it. Truman was a prolific letter writer, so there was a lot of content directly from his perspective.
Truman represented a time of American history that is truly amazing-and reading his biography is like taking several history classes from middle school and high school over again, but in a much more interesting/entertaining way.
I recommend this book to any looking for a great biography of a prominent figure in American history, history buffs in general, or those interested in an all-around great book. I think this could make my top-10 favorite books ever.
Truman was a great and a good man, and it was inspiring to read about his life and character-McCullough has a great skill at creating a story-like narrative out of a biography. Rigorously researched and painstakingly thorough, this is a well-deserved 1000 page read. I enjoyed every minute of it. Truman was a prolific letter writer, so there was a lot of content directly from his perspective.
Truman represented a time of American history that is truly amazing-and reading his biography is like taking several history classes from middle school and high school over again, but in a much more interesting/entertaining way.
I recommend this book to any looking for a great biography of a prominent figure in American history, history buffs in general, or those interested in an all-around great book. I think this could make my top-10 favorite books ever.