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Harry S. Truman: The American Presidents Series: The 33rd President, 1945-1953 by Robert Dallek
tamaralgage1's review
3.0
If you have you have never read anything about this President, it's not a bad read. Although it is not as entertaining and compelling as the interview at the end of the book in the audio version. The book is factual and lacked the passion I heard in the interview. So I will give it an average rating lacking the significant entertainment value I would have hoped for in the writing style.
kbelcher1992's review
3.0
Enjoyed yet another book in The American Presidents series. Overall I the book was good. Although it left me feeling very meh towards Truman. He made some interesting choices that the book exposed to me that I would say I ultimately didn't agree with. Overall a good, concise read of Truman's presidency. I would definitely recommend if you're not looking to go super deep but want an overarching view of Truman's presidency.
markk's review against another edition
3.0
In many ways an unlikely occupant of the office, Harry Truman’s career was one of dogged determination in a series of failed jobs and minor offices. Even his first term as a United States senator was less than noteworthy, and it was not until he had won reelection and achieved prominence as the head of a special committee designed to root out corruption and waste in military appropriations that he emerged as a vice presidential prospect in the 1944 presidential campaign – a critical decision given Franklin Roosevelt’s failing health.
Though Truman was selected to serve as vice president to a terminally ill man, Robert Dallek stresses the lack of preparation for his succession. Thrust into office by Roosevelt’s sudden death, the new president found himself facing enormous challenges involving the ongoing war and the even thornier ones of peace. While generally sympathetic to Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan, Dallek judges his plummeting support in the months that followed as the result of his attempts to be all things to all people, and that it was not until Truman decided to be his own man that he enjoyed greater success as president.
Dallek judges the two years that followed as Truman’s most successful as president, as he made key decisions involving the Cold War, the recognition of Israel, and civil rights. He fought against the Republican-dominated 80th Congress, and used their opposition to his domestic agenda as a launching pad for his victory over Thomas Dewey in the 1948 election. Yet Truman was unable to capitalize on his unexpected triumph, as he faced anticommunist hysteria, charges of corruption by members of his administration, and an intractable war in Korea, all of which led to his decision to abandon a run for another term in 1952.
An award-winning presidential historian and biographer, Dallek uses his considerable knowledge and insight to inform this study of Harry Truman. Though lacking original research, the author infuses his narrative with perceptiveness borne of his extensive historical expertise, one that has much to offer readers familiar with the 33rd president. The result is a book that is a good starting place for anyone interested in learning about the man from Missouri and how he led the nation through tumultuous times.
Though Truman was selected to serve as vice president to a terminally ill man, Robert Dallek stresses the lack of preparation for his succession. Thrust into office by Roosevelt’s sudden death, the new president found himself facing enormous challenges involving the ongoing war and the even thornier ones of peace. While generally sympathetic to Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan, Dallek judges his plummeting support in the months that followed as the result of his attempts to be all things to all people, and that it was not until Truman decided to be his own man that he enjoyed greater success as president.
Dallek judges the two years that followed as Truman’s most successful as president, as he made key decisions involving the Cold War, the recognition of Israel, and civil rights. He fought against the Republican-dominated 80th Congress, and used their opposition to his domestic agenda as a launching pad for his victory over Thomas Dewey in the 1948 election. Yet Truman was unable to capitalize on his unexpected triumph, as he faced anticommunist hysteria, charges of corruption by members of his administration, and an intractable war in Korea, all of which led to his decision to abandon a run for another term in 1952.
An award-winning presidential historian and biographer, Dallek uses his considerable knowledge and insight to inform this study of Harry Truman. Though lacking original research, the author infuses his narrative with perceptiveness borne of his extensive historical expertise, one that has much to offer readers familiar with the 33rd president. The result is a book that is a good starting place for anyone interested in learning about the man from Missouri and how he led the nation through tumultuous times.
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