Truman by David McCullough #Bookreview

Title: Truman
Author: David McCullough
Publisher: Simon Schuster Audio
Published Date: March 8th 2011
Genre: Nonfiction, President
Audio Time: 5 hour, 34 min
Format: Audiobook 

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 

Hailed by critics as an American masterpiece, David McCullough's sweeping biography of Harry S. Truman has captured the heart of the nation. The life and times of the thirty-third President of the United States, Truman provides a deeply moving look at an extraordinary, singular American. From Truman's small-town, turn-of-the-century boyhood and his transforming experience in the face of war in 1918, to his political beginnings in the powerful Pendergast machine and his rapid rise to prominence in the U.S. Senate, McCullough shows, in colorful detail, a man of uncommon vitality and strength of character. Here too is a telling account of Truman's momentous decision to use the atomic bomb and the weighty responsibilities that he was forced to confront on the dawning of a new age. Distinguished historian and prize-winning author David McCullough tells one of the greatest of American stories in this stirring audio adaptation of his Truman---a compelling, classic portrait of a life that shaped history. 
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 My Review:

“He wasn’t a hero, or an original thinker. His beliefs were their beliefs, their way of talking was his way of talking. He was on their side. He was one of them. If he stumbled over a phrase or a name, he would grin and try again, and they would smile with”   

Truman was truly the average guy, who wanted to do more, and was always willing to do more. He was a guy that everyone liked because of how simple he was about certain things, he never made anything over complicated and that's what made politicians on both sides like him so much. It's also why I believe he was able to win his own presidency.

I'm so glad I finally took the time to listen to this book. It's one that has always been highly talked about and because of that I was a little worried about reading/listening to it. Not only did it live up to my expectations it also surpassed them. The facts and the detail in this book are one of kind. Not only do we get to learn about Truman's life during presidency, but what came before that and helped shape him into the person he was, and of course what he did after he was no longer president.

“You must be frank with the world; frankness is the child of honesty and courage. Say just what you mean to do on every occasion, and take it for granted you mean to do right. . . . Never do anything wrong to make a friend or keep one; the man who requires you to do so, is dearly purchased at a sacrifice. Deal kindly, but firmly with all your classmates; you will find it the policy which wears best. Above all do not appear to others what you are not.”   

Now I haven't read any biography's of a president before, because I was always worried that they would lead to much one way or the other. I felt like this one had the perfect balance of both the good and the bad of Truman and his presidency. It showed what he struggled with and what he did exceedingly well at. In my opinion Truman really was a one of a kind president that I'm not sure can ever be replicated again especially in this day an age.