Book Review: Truman by David McCullough

President Harry S. Truman is one of the most unique and hardworking Presidents of the United States. David McCullough depicts Truman’s classy and resilient personality in his 1,000-page biography, Truman.

As a Missourian, Truman came from a family of diligent workers from the Midwest part of the country. His heritage was reflected in his political philosophy to protect farmers and the common, middle-class people. Truman became President as Franklin Delano Roosevelt passed in 1945 and was immediately forced with the pressure of living up to FDR’s great legacy.

Truman was placed into a situation where he had to make a series of tough decisions that would shape the way the American people viewed him. The assessment of the atomic bomb, the meetings with Stalin and Churchill at Potsdam, the Marshall plan, and the Korean War all shaped his career for two terms as President of the United States.

Even though he made his best effort, not all of his judgments were met with praise and jubilation. Through all of the tribulations and setbacks, he was able to prevail and handle his critics graciously and astutely. After receiving a low approval rating for a greater part of time in office, he never changed his behavior or plans. There was never a time when he refused to make the tough evaluation that would lead to the majority disproving. Harry S. Truman loved people and he could persuade anyone to join his team in fighting for the good of the nation.

Ambitious by nature, he was never torn by ambition, never tried to appear as something he was not. He stood for common sense, common decency. He spoke the common tongue. As much as any president since Lincoln, he brought to the highest office the language and values of the common American people. He held to the old guidelines: work hard, do your best, speak the truth, assume no airs, trust in God, have no fear. Yet he was not and had never been a simple, ordinary man. The homely attributes, the Missouri wit, the warmth of his friendship, the genuineness of Harry Truman, however appealing, were outweighed by the larger qualities that made him a figure of world stature, both a great and good man, and a great American president.

The biography is rich with historical facts and provides a narrative of how America reacted to the sudden changes in the world. Truman promoted the democratic worldview that one person should not control an entire country. There are many people who are involved in making a country run and prosper. He was willing to risk the safety of American troops to fight for the freedom of the civilians that live in the world.

The most gripping and resonating part of the biography was Truman’s difficult task of deciding whether to drop the atomic bombs on Japan. McCullough provides a blow-by-blow account of the thought process of Truman and those advising him. The immense strain of the choice is unparalleled and unprecedented. There is debate whether Truman made the right or wrong decision, and I have to say that he made the most educated and best decision possible.

I enjoyed the descriptive meetings at Potsdam with Stalin and Churchill. McCullough used illustrative ways to make the reader feel like they were in the conferences and could observe the emotions on Stalin’s face. Stalin’s grimacing character was accurately portrayed and I could sense the deceitfulness between the words on the page. Truman handled himself wonderfully throughout the meetings and allowed the reader to realize what an amazing man he was.

This is one of the best biographies that I have read of a political figure. Truman was more than a politician and this was revealed from the beginning. He was a man of decency and courage. There was never a person who he would not talk to and he always demanded equality of every person.