The Trials of Harry S. Truman

The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man, 1945-1953

De: Jeffrey Frank

Narrado por: Fred Sanders

Jeffrey Frank, author of the bestselling Ike and Dick, returns with the “beguiling” (The New York Times) first full account of the Truman presidency in nearly thirty years, recounting how a seemingly ordinary man met the extraordinary challenge of leading America through the pivotal years of the mid-20th century.

The nearly eight years of Harry Truman’s presidency—among the most turbulent in American history—were marked by victory in the wars against Germany and Japan; the first use of an atomic bomb and the development of far deadlier weapons; the start of the Cold War and the creation of the NATO alliance; the Marshall Plan to rebuild the wreckage of postwar Europe; the Red Scare; and the fateful decision to commit troops to fight a costly “limited war” in Korea.

Historians have tended to portray Truman as stolid and decisive, with a homespun manner, but the man who emerges in The Trials of Harry S. Truman is complex and surprising. He believed that the point of public service was to improve the lives of one’s fellow citizens and fought for a national health insurance plan. While he was disturbed by the brutal treatment of African Americans and came to support stronger civil rights laws, he never relinquished the deep-rooted outlook of someone with Confederate ancestry reared in rural Missouri. He was often carried along by the rush of events and guided by men who succeeded in refining his fixed and facile view of the postwar world. And while he prided himself on his Midwestern rationality, he could act out of instinct and combativeness, as when he asserted a president’s untested power to seize the nation’s steel mills.

The Truman who emerges in these pages is a man with generous impulses, loyal to friends and family, and blessed with keen political instincts, but insecure, quick to anger, and prone to hasty decisions. Archival discoveries, and research that led from Missouri to Washington, Berlin and Korea, have contributed to an indelible and “intimate” (The Washington Post) portrait of a man, born in the 19th century, who set the nation on a course that reverberates in the 21st century, a leader who never lost a schoolboy’s love for his country and its Constitution.

©2022 Jeffrey Frank. All rights reserved (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Worthy Addition

I have read a lot of books on Truman and his Presidency. This was a wonderful addition adding additional information into his presidency and cabinet and well worth the credit.

Highly Recommend

More than strictly biographical, the focus on Truman’s presidency and cabinet added much to my understanding of Truman and the world during his presidency.

Excellent listening

Well documented details of a man’s contribution to our our country

Recommend to anyone busy yet interested about history

Solid work

I have read most books written about Truman. I found this book very interesting and accurate.

Honest Assessment

As a docent at the Truman Library in Independence most typical stories of HST would be positive and elevating (i.e. what you want to hear). This book brought a different perspective of HST...sometimes not in a positive light. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it...but as the book progressed I realized the author was utilizing many different vantage points and sources, both good and bad. I came to respect this and now I see HST in a different light...human! He certainly made his fair share of mistakes but also didn't become paralyzed to make a decision. He let the chips, or buck, fall where they may.

The reader's performance left a little to be desired...I didn't feel like he was talking to me...merely reading.

Wow what a book!

For folks who know Truman and his times this book is an important addition to our body of knowledge - there is fresh information here and excellent insight and writing.

For folks who do not know Truman this
book is a great introduction to a great man.

A lovely re-telling of the Truman story

Brings Truman to life. Wonderful narration by Fred Sanders. Very enjoyable addition to the fine McCollough biography.

Excellent illuminating work

Well worth the read or listening. So much here to learn from. I did not realize the Korean War was virtually completely on Truman’s watch. I think Eisenhower gets more of the credit though the conflict was an absolute disaster that continues to affect millions of people.

Compelling Narrative Presidential Biography

Jeffrey Frank has written a compelling narrative of Harry Truman's presidency that tells the story of both his character and his growth into one of our strongest presidents.

I Expected A Lot More

I anticipated this book eagerly, expecting that it would dissect the thought process and evolutionary growth of this widely-respected president. Instead, the book offered a little more than a day by day recitation of events that was void in particular insight or analysis. For that reason, I found the book deeply disappointing.

The narrator of the book is fine, but his delivery is not in the least soaring or compelling. This underscored the sense of insufficiency that I have from the work.