Review of Truman by David McCullough

David McCullough’s Truman is a sweeping, almost cinematic portrayal of an accidental president who defied every expectation. This is not just a biography; it’s an epic, a narrative of American grit and integrity wrapped up in the figure of Harry S. Truman.

Truman’s rise to the presidency feels almost like a historical fluke—a man thrust into the highest office by the sudden death of FDR, a man who many underestimated, including Truman himself. But what McCullough captures so brilliantly is how Truman took this mantle with an alacrity that belied his origins. He was the quintessential common man, never donning the trappings of power, and it’s this very ordinariness that becomes extraordinary. Truman wielded his identity not as a liability but as his greatest strength, a weapon in a political arena that often rewards the pompous and the self-aggrandizing.

In an age where celebrity often masquerades as leadership, where wealth and status are equated with merit, Truman’s story is a refreshing reminder of a time when modesty and moral clarity could still hold sway. He never drifted far from his roots—his Missouri upbringing remained etched in his psyche, shaping his every move and every decision. And perhaps it’s this steadfastness, this refusal to be anything other than who he was, that makes his presidency so compelling, and, frankly, so instructive for our current political climate.

However, to romanticize Truman’s tenure would be a disservice to history. The decisions he made—whether dropping the atomic bomb on Japan or engaging in the Korean conflict—were not without severe consequences. McCullough doesn’t shy away from the darker shades of Truman’s legacy. These are choices that invite scrutiny, debate, even condemnation, yet they are integral to understanding the complexity of Truman as a leader. He was a man of his time, shaped by the immense pressures of a world at war and the nascent Cold War that followed.