Book Review: "Truman" by David McCullough (1993)

I decided to tackle this 1000-page, Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Harry Truman because many commentators of either political persuasion are now comparing the current President with the man from Independence, Missouri (see here and here for two examples).

In exhausting fashion, McCullough takes us through Truman's unremarkable childhood in the Midwest through his service in World War I and his failure as a clothier in the 1920s. From there, his ascension to the US Senate and his steady yet far from exceptional record in that body is retold as is Truman's place in the jockeying for the vice-presidency alongside the megalomaniacal FDR in 1944, which led to his installation as President upon FDR's death in spring 1945, a ordinary man unexpectedly thrust into a position of extraordinary global leadership. This is where "Truman" becomes valuable, as the Potsdam conference with Churchill and Stalin is described as are the decisions leading to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as central moments in modern Western history such as the Marshall Plan, the creation of Israel, the McCarty investigations, and the Korean War.

Throughout it all, the plain-spoken, likable, everyman Truman stayed firm despite numerous obstacles: his many detractors in the press, other world leaders (like Churchill) who were at times outwardly dismissive of him, public approval ratings which fell as low as 23%, an uncertain war in a far-off land (Korea), enemies who trafficked in innuendo and paranoia (McCarthy), and a lack of a clear heir to his legacy from within his own party all within the shadow of his predecessor to inarguably become one of the top five (if not top three) Presidents of the 20th century as he mobilized America to confront a new and ambitious threat to the free world in the form of Communism.

The values of Truman were the best values of America: loyalty, fidelity, conviction, steadfastness, persistency, humility and courage. Certainly, he's one of the best Democrats - and democrats - the country has ever known. Frankly, however, "Truman" isn't one of the best pieces of political journalism I've ever read, and I'd recommend that only the truly determined endeavour to read this one from cover to cover, as it's probably more suitable for dipping in to. That being said, it doesn't take away from the fact that it's entirely illustrative of how the subject was so intregral to how the world has evolved over the last 60 years.

Overall rating: 8/10