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Truman

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Truman

By: David McCullough
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
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About this listen

 The Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Harry S. Truman, whose presidency included momentous events from the atomic bombing of Japan to the outbreak of the Cold War and the Korean War, told by America’s beloved and distinguished historian.

The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man—a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined—but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman’s story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman’s own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary “man from Missouri” who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history. Americas Politicians Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State State & Local United States Biography War Franklin D Roosevelt Military Vietnam War Leadership Imperialism Korean War Roosevelt Family Russia Winston Churchill Soviet Union Imperial Japan Socialism American History
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This book is whatever a "page turner" might be for audio books, and the narration excellent. I can't stop listening at night when I go to bed (when I normally fire up Audible). It's becoming such a problem that I'm not getting enough sleep at the moment! I'm halfway through so I should be back to my regular sleep schedule in about a week.

I can't recommend this book highly enough (and I'm looking at other books by this narrator now; "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life" is probably up next).

So good, I can't stop listening

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Would you listen to Truman again? Why?

Yes, because there was so much to listen to I think I probably missed quite a bit. I was quite amazed at the way American politics works, so different to ours in Australia under the English system. It opened my eyes quite a lot. I honestly felt very sorry for Mr. Truman; he was not treated with respect when he became Vice President. He hadn't wanted to be Vice President, he had a horror of becoming the President through the President passing away (he was very sick) and sure enough - his nightmare came true. How could they not have kept him in the loop about the Atomic bomb development when they knew Roosevelt was extremely ill?

Any additional comments?

I think this President is the least understood but I believe him to be the most honest. The way he was treated by Roosevelt and the minions surrounding him borders on disgusting. When you think about it the Vice President should know everything the President knows, it's only a split second between being the Vice President and becoming the President if there's an accident or an assassination. This was a fascinating look at the life of a man who became the leader of the free world in its worst hours through accident, and had to make the hardest decision any man had ever had to make - do we drop the bomb or do we continue to fight? He then went on to be elected in his own right and become much loved by the American people. I loved this book.

A sorry way to treat your Vice President

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I knew nothing of Harry Truman before listening to this epic biography. It is a well crafted tale and brilliantly narrated. What struck me most was how character and integrity was at the heart of everything Truman stood for. He must stand among the greatest of US Presidents and unlike the person who occupies that office today, even in that August company he might just top them all. He died when I was but 4 years old but his legacy remains.

Deeply Affecting

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Wonderful biography of an amazing man. Stands in sharp contrast with what is served up now.

Excellent

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Interesting background provided in part one of the book. Great story telling and captivating narration by Nelson Runger.

Excellent story telling

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