Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman
by Merle Miller
Our Price: $59.99
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.31 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Merle MillerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-04
ISBN: 1579124372
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers
Book Reviews of Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman
Book Review: An excellent biography and a great read
Summary: 4 Stars
I can't believe no one else has reviewed this book! I was exposed to it as a boy, read it first as a teenager, and have found myself re-reading it every few years since. It's not perfect -- what book is? -- but I think it's excellent.
Harry Truman was the sort of man that was rare in his own day, and perhaps rarer these days -- a man of integrity and discipline, a man uninterested in lying about anything for any reason, a man determined to do what was right even if not a single person on Earth agreed with him. For various reasons, though, many of the biographies of him fall short.
Merle Miller, by his own account, was no particular fan of Truman when he first met him. But he conducted many hours of taped interviews, in the interests of producing a never-aired television show about the Truman years, and seems to have gradually learned to appreciate the man.
The result is a book of interviews, mostly with Truman but also with friends, relatives, and associates (Dean Acheson among them), painting a bright and warm picture of a much-misunderstood President.
Miller acknowledges Truman's gaffes and faux pas when they arise, and does his best to put them in context. (He acknowledges Truman's casual racism by today's standards, typical of the day, for example -- but he also points out that it was Truman who took the bold step of integrating the U.S. armed forces. Truman even had the guts to do it in an election year!)
In addition to all else, I found this book an easy read, suitable for cuddling up with a blanket and a fire in the fireplace. Highly recommended.
Presidents & Heads of State Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Presidents & Heads of State Books
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Ronald Reagan, 1983, Book 1: January 1 to July 1, 1983by Ronald Reagan
US Government Printing Office; Published: 1984-01-01; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Ronald Reagan, 1982, Book 1, January 1 to July 2, 1982National Archives and Records Administra; Published: 1999-09-28; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years (A Harvest/ HJB book)by Carl Sandburg
Harcourt; Published: 1984-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
Abraham Lincoln: The War Yearsby Carl Sandburg
Harcourt; Published: 1939-06; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops:
The Avenger Takes His Place: Andrew Johnson and the 45 Days That Changed the Nationby Howard Means
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Published: 2006-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.41
Price in other shops:
The Sack of Rome: Media + Money + Celebrity = Power = Silvio Berlusconiby Alexander Stille
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 2007-07-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.74
Price in other shops:
George Washington On Leadershipby Richard Brookhiser
Basic Books; Published: 2009-04-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.34
Price in other shops:
Speech-less: Tales of a White House Survivorby Matthew Latimer
Crown; Published: 2009-09-22; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.34
Price in other shops:
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)by Barack Obama
Vintage; Published: 2008-07-15; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.97
Price in other shops:
First Family: Abigail and John Adamsby Joseph J. Ellis
Knopf; Published: 2010-10-26; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.92
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Once Upon a Car: The Fall and Resurrection of America's Big Three Auto Makers--GM, Ford, and Chryslerby Bill Vlasic
William Morrow; Published: 2011-07-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.94
Price in other shops:
The Autobiography of Harry S. TrumanUniversity of Missouri; Published: 2002-09-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.58
Price in other shops:
TrumanHBO Home Video; Release date: 2000-02-29; DVD
Best price: $4.18
Price in other shops:
Harry S. Trumanby Margaret Truman
Avon Books (P); Published: 1993-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $60.72
Trumanby David McCullough
Simon & Schuster; Published: 1992-06-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Memoirs By Harry S. Truman: 1945 Year of Decisionsby Harry S. Truman
William S. Konecky Associates; Published: 1999-03-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $55.99
Where the Buck Stops: The Personal and Private Writings of Harry S. Trumanby Harry S. Truman, Margaret Truman
Warner Books; Published: 1989-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops:
The Wit & Wisdom of Harry Trumanby Ralph Keyes
Gramercy; Published: 1999-10-12; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.81
Where the Buck Stops: The Personal and Private Writings of Harry S. Trumanby Margaret Truman
Grand Central Publishing; Published: 1990-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.97
Price in other shops:
Trumanby David McCullough
Simon & Schuster; Published: 1993-06-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.14
Price in other shops: