Book Description

This brief text assists students in understanding Turing's philosophy and thinking so they can more fully engage in useful, intelligent class dialogue and improve their understanding of course content. Part of the Wadsworth Notes Series, (which will eventually consist of approximately 100 titles, each focusing on a single "thinker" from ancient times to the present), ON TURING is written by a philosopher deeply versed in the philosophy of this key thinker. Like other books in the series, this concise book offers sufficient insight into the thinking of a notable philosopher, better enabling students to engage in reading and to discuss the material in class and on paper. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Objective bio, complement to McCullough
Poor Ferrell. Did anyone realize there was a second scholarly biography of Truman published in the 90s? Ferrell presents a different Harry Truman than David McCullough. His Truman is less romantic and less the accidental president. Where McCullough seems to put Truman on a pedestal, Ferrell presents a more realistic view. McCullough captures much of Truman's day-to-day thoughts and actions through his letters to Bess and Margaret, which obviously provides much greater insight into the President's personality, while Ferrell captured them through the comments and diaries of staff and contemporaries. While still portraying him as an honest and very capable (and underrated) president, he does not shy away from discussing his missteps and weaknesses.

I think a perfect example of the juxtaposition of the two authors is how each describes how the Marshall Plan got its name. McCullough says Truman wanted to give General Marshall credit for his ideas; Ferrell says Truman knew a bill called the "Truman Plan" would never make it past the Republicans in Congress. Both statements are probably true, but each author has a different emphasis.

Ferrell provides good analysis on world and national events happening around Truman with some interesting digressions and observations, such as with Stalin, Korea and its aftermath, McArthur, etc.. In fact, it becomes more of a history book than a biography of Truman. Because of this emphasis, the reader does not discover the real Truman, what drove him, his intimate thoughts and fears, etc. Bess, Margaret, and Mama Truman are bit players in this bio, although there were core to Truman.

Truman's 1948 election win was indeed result of a miraculous 11th hour great burst of energy by the incumbent president, but Ferrell does not shrink from showing Truman as the typical politician, slinging a little mud and showing partisanship against the 80th Congress, which he lambasted publicly and complemented privately (they passed the "Truman doctrine" and were as good with New Deal legislation as their predecessors and successors).

Despite his reserved countenance and mousy presentation, Truman was his own man. He stood up to Pendergast, FDR, labor, big business, domineering cabinet members, and McArthur. He was the true moderate ... while busting the miners and railroad union strikes, threatening to draft them to stop the strike, he also fought "Big Steel" and vetoed Taft-Hartley. Ferrell sets straight Truman's record on civil rights giving it the credit it never really received. Truman was the true vote-your-conscience legislator. Ferrell closes with the last couple of years of the second administration, which were ripe with scandal, although not the result of improprieties from Truman himself.

If one can only read one Truman bio (and has the time to digest), read McCullough's tome. That author obviously reveres Truman, but is still a balanced account, and is more comprehensive and personal. That recommendation does not, however, discredit Ferrell, especially if one is more interested in the United States under Harry Truman than Truman the man.

My discussions with Truman contradict much of this book
Harry did not want to be President and was not tied to corrupt political influences as President. This book misses the essence of Harry Truman badly. I suggest reading Harry's own books to understand Harry, at least this author knew Harry intimately.

An Overlooked Gem
Robert Ferrell has been the foremost Truman scholar for several decades. His culminating work is this fine, well-researched, analytically compelling biography. It was supposed to be the definitive work on Truman. But David McCullough published his magnum opus first. I wish that Professor Ferrell had received a fraction of the well-deserved acclamation heaped on McCullough. The two works are complementary. Ferrell does not match the rich narrative sweep of McCullough but makes up for it with critical analysis and placing Truman and his presidency in historical context, both in terms of change and continuity. If you liked "Truman" you will appreciate "Harry S. Truman: A Life" and may find it ultimately more satisfying.

The Man from Indepnedence in the World.
"Harry S Truman" is an edifying biography of the Man from Independence, from his days as a boy until his retirement and death in Independence. Throughout this biography, Ferrell does an excellent job of covering the main events in Truman's life as well as undertaking in-depth analysis of various issues and decisions with which Truman was concerned. This biography serves, not only as an interesting character study, but also as a view into the other figures of history with whom Truman interacted as well as a view into the general history of his day. I recommend this book to all who have an interest in Truman or his era. ... Read more

Book Description

In his eight years as president from 1945-1953, Harry S. Truman made some of the most important decisions in U.S. history, particularly in foreign policy matters. This book contains transcripts of conversations with Truman from taped interviews in 1959. The probing questions and straightforward answers cover a wide variety of domestic and foreign policy issues ranging from civil rights in the South to using the atomic bomb on Japan.p This book provides a vivid portrait of Truman, 'warts and all.' Through his answers to questions, the threads of his political loyalty, bluntness, frustration, decency, thrift, humanity, and humor become a tapestry of his presidential character. His intense pride and manner surface especially as he explains bitter political and domestic controversies, as well as foreign policy decisions. These interviews reveal Truman's bedrock foundation of deeply held political beliefs as he gives thoughtful answers to queries about major political issues. In addition, he discusses American presidential history; Congressmen such as Sam Rayburn and Lyndon Johnson; Supreme Court Justices; and dozens of other well-known political leaders, including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Adlai Stevenson, and John F. Kennedy. In similar fashion, he describes numerous foreign leaders, including Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Winston Churchill, and Chiang Kai-Shek.p Evident as well is his firm loyalty to the United States, his family, his friends, and the Democratic Party. Truman also divulges some of his personal dislikes, particularly of political opponents such as Richard M. Nixon and, for over a decade after 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower. However, his personal resentments are more than matched by his fair-minded judgments of former President Herbert Hoover, American farmers, laborers, and racial groups.p Discovered by Ralph Weber at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library, the interviews were originally to be used as background for Truman's book, Mr. Citizen (1960), but most of Truman's observations and answers were not included in that book. Professor Weber has omitted very little of the original transcripts and has kept the conversations in the same order, revealing the ebb and flow of the questioning. He includes an introduction, annotations, brief biographies of the people Truman discusses in the interviews, and photographs to provide context for the reader. This revealing new book is an excellent addition to courses on American twentieth-century history and the presidency. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A detailed look at the Truman presidency for younger readers
Thomas Fleming was chosen by Harry Truman to collaborate with Margaret Truman on her biography of her father and to help Margaret with her biography of her mother, Bess Truman, so his credentials to write a juvenile biography of "Harry S Truman, President" are certainly impeccable. Note, for instance, that this is one of the few biographies of Truman that correct omits the period after the S; it was not that the S did not stand for anything, but rather that it stood for the names of both of his grandfathers, Solomon Young and Shippe Truman (although Shippe was grandfather Truman's middle name). However, details do tend to be important in a biography.

Another way in which this volume is different from most juvenile biographies of Truman is that it focuses on Truman's time as President. After the first chapter recalls what happened when Truman was summoned to the White House to be told by Eleanor Roosevelt that the President was dead, Fleming devotes only three chapters to the years leading up to that point. Captain Harry Goes to Washington follows Truman from birth to being elected to the Senate, From Outsider to Insider tells how he won the acceptance of his political colleagues, and From Investigator to President actually makes the argument that Truman was picked by the Democratic leadership as FDR's running mate, fully aware they were not just nominating a vice president but choosing the next president.

Clearly this is the volume students would want to turn to for detailed information about the Truman presidency. Fleming knows the big picture and is constantly putting the pieces together for his readers: when FDR asked Truman to help push Henry Wallace's nomination for secretary of commerce through the Senate, Fleming points out that this would be one of his biggest headaches as president. Truman became president of the most powerful nation in the world at the end of a global war, which meant he was immediately faced with major problems and important decisions, such as using the atomic bomb and what to do about the Soviet Union. After the war the Cold War, the Korean War, and various domestic issues became equally important.

At the end of the book Fleming makes it clear that while Truman was not really appreciated until after his death, when historians finally realized the tremendous accomplishments of his presidency and that Truman deserves credit as the architect of the Truman Doctrine that eventually led to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and Russia, and its steady decline in Asia. Truman used the power of the United States to enlarge the freedom of millions around the world. Part of the charm, as one historian put it, was the Truman was "an uncommon man whose blessing was that he considered himself a common man."

Young readers will certainly have a much better understanding of both Truman's accomplishments in office and the characteristics of courage and integrity that have made him one of the rare Presidents to be considered a hero. The Notes on Further Reading that Fleming provides has the advantage of his comments on the various books, as opposed to simply listing them, just a final indication of how well he knows his material. This book is sparsely illustrated with historic black & white photographs, because the emphasis is on providing a detailed look at the Truman presidency, which is exactly what young readers will find here. ... Read more

Book Description

"Eleanor and Harry -- even the title makes you want to pick up this book. That's a symbol of its value in drawing us into history....Since we know from hindsight that these two people helped to shape our world, we also understand that history is made by Eleanors and Harrys -- and that we could be one of them. Steve Neal has paid us the ultimate honor of creating a book that empowers its readers."

-- from the Foreword, by Gloria Steinem

This collection of the never-before-seen correspondence of Harry S. Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt sheds important light on the relationship between two giants of twentieth-century American history.

While researching his previous book, Harry and Ike, Steve Neal came upon a trove of letters between President Harry S. Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt that had never been published. At the time they were written, the former first lady was Truman's appointee to the UN delegation -- the highest-ranking woman in his administration. These letters, collected in Eleanor and Harry, reveal the extraordinary story of a deep, often stormy, and enduring friendship throughout one of the most important eras in American history.

Eleanor and Harry grew up in different worlds. Their alliance was often strained, as they represented diverse, and sometimes opposing, political traditions. Truman, who had spent much of his youth on a Missouri farm, reflected the values and work ethic of rural America. Eleanor, born into New York society, was a constant advocate of reform. Despite their differences, they maintained a warm and sympathetic correspondence after Truman took office, and he designated Mrs. Roosevelt the "First Lady of the World."

In more than 250 letters, readers will discover Eleanor and Harry's discussion of the beginning of the Cold War, the rebuilding of postwar Europe, the creation of the state of Israel, and the start of the modern civil rights movement. Mrs. Roosevelt pressed Truman to give women more influence in his administration and declined to endorse his renomination in 1948, but she supported his difficult decision to drop the atomic bomb, his military intervention in Korea, and his controversial firing of General Douglas MacArthur. Though they disagreed on several occasions and Mrs. Roosevelt often offered to resign from the UN delegation, Truman valued her advice too much to allow her to quit. They remained close friends until her death in 1962.

Eleanor and Harry is an uncommonly personal look at some of the momentous events of the twentieth century and offers a rare, intimate insight into the challenging and enriching friendship between two great Americans. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A great book to read following a Truman biography
This book is a compilation of letters exchanged between Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt during Truman's presidency. The book has an easy-to-read style largely because the author adds dialog to explain the situations, events, and results of what the letters mention. By using this dialog-letter combination, a great deal of history is presented in an entertaining manner.

I would highly recommend this book as a followup immediately after reading the biography Truman, by David McCullough. With a little bit of Truman history, not only will you find this book a great source of behind the scenes information, you'll also discover that the letters written by Eleanor Roosevelt are a joy to read. She was truly a gifted writer with the ability to put emotions and thoughts into the written word in a manner that could be described as artistic.

Historic Friendship
I read this book in no time. In the good old days of great letter writing, these two protagonists enjoyed a rich and historic friendship. Although sometimes on the opposite sides of issues, the friendship betwen former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and President Harry Truman was a rich and ultimately fascinating exercise in camaraderie and mutual aid.
From reading these fascinating letters, it is obvious that these two old friends actually enjoyed talking and exchanging ideas and opinions.

This book, as edited, weaves a moving and extremely interesting story, reading very much like a good biography.
I highly recommend this book, a good example of history making exciting reading.

Eleanor and Harry
Steve Neal has compiled some 250 letters between Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry Truman when he took office after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. In this small but thoughtful book, Neal combines commentary pertinent to the times or to the letter itself. While they disagreed on many things, he repeatedly asked her to write to him with her thoughts on events of the day, which she did and with great candor. President Truman was the first to call Mrs. Roosevelt "First Lady of the World." I heartily recomment this book to those who wish to know these two great people a bit better. ... Read more