|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon
This warm biography of Harry Truman is both an historical evaluation of his presidency and a paean to the man's rock-solid American values. Truman was a compromise candidate for vice president, almost an accidental president after Roosevelt's death 12 weeks into his second term. Truman's stunning come-from-behind victory in the 1948 election showed how his personal qualities of integrity and straightforwardness were appreciated by ordinary Americans, perhaps, as McCullough notes, because he was one himself. His presidency was dominated by enormously controversial issues: he dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, established anti-Communism as the bedrock of American foreign policy, and sent U.S. troops into the Korean War. In this winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize, McCullough argues that history has validated most of Truman's war-time and Cold War decisions.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Cracker-barrel plain in speech and looks, this seemingly ordinary man turned out to be one of our most dynamic presidents. It was Harry S. Truman who ordered the atomic bomb dropped, halted Communists in Turkey and Greece, initiated the Marshall Plan, NATO and the Berlin Airlift, ordered desegregation of the armed forces, established the CIA and the Defense Department, committed U.S. forces to Korea and upheld the principle of civilian control over the military by firing Gen. Douglas MacArthur. McCullough ( Mornings on Horseback ) has written a surefooted, highly satisfying biography of the 33rd president, one that not only conveys in rich detail Truman's accomplishments as a politician and statesman, but also reveals the character and personality of this constantly-surprising man--as schoolboy, farmer, soldier, merchant, county judge, senator, vice president and chief executive. The book relates how Truman (1884-1972) overcame the stigma of business failure and debt (as well as the accusation that he was "bellboy" to Kansas City's Pendergast machine) and acquired a reputation for honesty, reliability and common sense. McCullough pays considerable attention to Truman's family, especially his fervent and touching courtship of Bess Wallace, the idolized love of his life. Her mother never felt Truman was good enough for her daughter, even after he became president. The book's re-creation of the 1948 presidential campaign, during which Newsweek 's poll of 50 political writers predicted that the incumbent would lose the election to Thomas Dewey, is the most complete account of that surprise victory to date. The book is an impressive tribute to a man whose brisk cheerfulness and self-confidence were combined with a God-fearing humility; a great and good man who, in McCullough's opinion, was a great president. Photos not seen by PW. BOMC main selection; History Book Club and QPB alternatives; author tour.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
In the spring of 1841, when John Tyler was President, a Kentucky farmer named Solomon Young and his red-haired wife, Harriet Louisa Young, packed their belongings and with two small children started for the Far West. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
In the spring of 1841, when John Tyler was President, a Kentucky farmer named Solomon Young and his red-haired wife, Harriet Louisa Young, packed their belongings and with two small children started for the Far West. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Valentine to Truman,
By JCB "Justin" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Truman (Paperback)
Well researched and very readable, McCullough has produced the best biography of Truman yet published. McCullough's narrative is rarely critical of Truman's actions, but he's such a great story teller that you hardly notice. For readable biographies, this book is second only to Robert K. Massie's "Peter the Great."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Romantic and Sentimental Rubbish,
By A Customer
This review is from: Truman (Paperback)
Perhaps my view of the man has been contaminated by that of my Grandmother. She hated Truman. Really hated him. Thought he had no class. George Washington, Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt were her kind of people. Truman? A shabby haberdasher in everything he did. She would like David McCullough all right, but not his judgement. Well, what about it? Was the old girl wrong? After reading this I'm not convinced she was. Sure, she was being superficial. But isn't a President's manner important? What about that rediculous(shabby) note of pretentious moralism that Truman scribbled to Eisenhower, the "Republican" presidential candidate? What about his acrimonious speech-making? And his hot-headed threat to punch that critic who had the good judgement (most likely) to call his daughter's musical talents into question? I suppose this is all way too superficial...but there is something "off" about the Truman cult. Does this guy really belong up there with Washington, Lincoln and TR?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting - yet too wordy and a bit one sided.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Truman (Paperback)
This book could have benefited from the hand of an editor determined to cut out some of the slower moving passages. I skipped paragraphs and sometimes pages without finding I'd missed anything of consequence when I went back to see if I was being too harsh. Over all it is a good read but probably should have been a 750 page book instead of a thousand. It also tends to defend most of Truman's actions while criticizing those of opposite viewpoints. Truman's devotion to the political machine in his home state begs for more in depth analysis than the author gives it. All in all I reccommend this book but also suggest that other authors be read before forming a definitive conclusion on this complex and interesting person.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Presidents & Heads of State
- Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( T ) > Truman, Harry
- Books > History > Americas > United States > 20th Century
- Books > History > United States > 20th Century
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
