Man of the People : A Life of Harry S. Truman by Alonzo L. Hamby (1995, Hardcover)

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MAN OF THE PEOPLE: A LIFE OF HARRY S. TRUMAN By Alonzo L. Hamby - Hardcover **BRAND NEW**.

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Product Identifiers

PublisherOxford University Press, Incorporated
ISBN-100195045467
ISBN-139780195045468
eBay Product ID (ePID)50532

Product Key Features

Book TitleMan of the People : Alife of Harry S. Truman
Number of Pages800 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication Year1995
TopicUnited States / 20th Century, General, Presidents & Heads of State
IllustratorYes
GenreBiography & Autobiography, History
AuthorAlonzo L. Hamby
FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height2.3 in
Item Weight47.3 Oz
Item Length9.5 in
Item Width6.4 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade
LCCN94-043806
Dewey Edition20
Reviews"A cool, highly nuanced examination of Truman's cultural and politicalmilieus....Includes excellent analyses of Truman's difficulties in keepingtogether the loose New Deal coalition and his vacillation before recognizingIsrael."--Kirkus Reviews, "Man of the People reveals the mastery of factual detail and contemporary scholarship we have come to expect from Alonzo Hamby. What is an additional bonus is the fascinating and thoroughly convincing portrait of Truman the man contained in these pages. This is the definitive biography of oneof the great presidents of the 20th century."--John A. Garraty, Governor Morris Professor, Columbia University, "Is there need for another comprehensive Truman biography? Yes, and noted Truman historian Hamby provides it."--Library Journal, "Man of the People reveals the mastery of factual detail and contemporaryscholarship we have come to expect from Alonzo Hamby. What is an additionalbonus is the fascinating and thoroughly convincing portrait of Truman the mancontained in these pages. This is the definitive biography of one of the greatpresidents of the 20th century."--John A. Garraty, Governor Morris Professor,Columbia University, "This rich and illuminating book is by far the most persuasive of the many Truman biographies. Unlike previous writers, Hamby neither demonizes nor idealizes his subject, but instead presents him as a complex, fallible human being whose strengths are in many ways the reciprocals of hisweaknesses."--Fred I. Greenstein, Princeton University, author of The Hidden-Hand Presidency: Eisenhower as Leader, "Alonzo Hamby has brought his considerable experience as a Truman scholarto this major study. His rich and insightful account of a man who has becomemythical not for what he did but for 'who America believed him to be' should domuch to dispel mysteries about the man and his time. This biography is thorough,both for Truman's public as well as his private life. Hamby does not hesitate tooffer some tough analyses, from the Truman role in ending World War II and thebombing of Hiroshima to Korea and General MacArthur."--Herbert S. Parmet,Professor Emeritus, The City University of New York, author of J.F.K.: ThePresidency of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and His America, "One of the most eminent Truman scholars in the historical profession, at the capstone of his career, has brought us a deeply researched, often surprising scholarly life of the thirty-third President, raising questions that will absorb the general reader and animate historians for years tocome."--Michael R. Beschloss, author of The Crisis Years: Kennedy and Khrushchev, 1960-1963, "A cool, highly nuanced examination of Truman's cultural and political milieus....Includes excellent analyses of Truman's difficulties in keeping together the loose New Deal coalition and his vacillation before recognizing Israel."--Kirkus Reviews, "Alonzo Hamby has brought his considerable experience as a Truman scholar to this major study. His rich and insightful account of a man who has become mythical not for what he did but for 'who America believed him to be' should do much to dispel mysteries about the man and his time. Thisbiography is thorough, both for Truman's public as well as his private life. Hamby does not hesitate to offer some tough analyses, from the Truman role in ending World War II and the bombing of Hiroshima to Korea and General MacArthur."--Herbert S. Parmet, Professor Emeritus, The City University ofNew York, author of J.F.K.: The Presidency of John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and His America, "Hamby's rich portrait reveals a man devoted to honesty and efficiency in public service, who excelled at building bipartisan coalitions, displayed an ability to make hard decisions, and was 'magnificently right' in his contributions to the early civil rights movement and to the mobilizationof the West against the Soviet challenge....[Hamby's] biography vividly defines the man, both public and private."--Publishers Weekly, "Man of the People is an altogether splendid biography. It combines well-paced narrative and sensitive portraiture with incisive analysis in setting Harry Truman against the troubles and triumphs of a turbulent time."--Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., "A superb new biography.... The Truman we meet in these pages is more troubled, complicated, and genuine than the man we have read about before. While Mr. Hamby's account lacks the narrative drive of David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning Truman...it is superior...in providing a clearinterpretative framework for understanding the relationship between Truman's personal traits and his momentous Presidential decisions.... What Mr. Hamby has done, with great skill, is to remind us of the real Harry Truman, to demythologize him without slighting his accomplishments or his rough roadto success."--The New York Times Book Review, "In his preface Alonzo Hamby, the leading Truman scholar, hopes readers will find this book a 'crackling good story.' Few books on the presidency crackle half as much. None other so profoundly deepens our understanding of Harry Truman and his times. Hamby's probing not only explains Trumanwith a new clarity but shows why Truman, discredited when he left office, is today regarded as one of our great presidents. This book will be read for a long time."--Robert J. Donovan, noted Washington journalist, author of Conflict and Crisis: The Presidency of Harry S. Truman, 1945-1948 andTumultuous Years: The Presidency of Harry S. Truman, 1949-1953
Dewey Decimal973.918/092 B
SynopsisHarry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon--the plain-speaking president, "Give 'em Hell Harry," the chief executive who put "The Buck Stops Here" on his desk. But Alonzo L. Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure, ambitious, a man of honor, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses. In Man of the People, Alonzo L. Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctively American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Truman comes alive in these pages as he has nowhere else, making his way from the farmhouse, to the front lines in France during World War I, to the difficult small-business world of Kansas City--all the time struggling with his deep feelings of inadequacy and immense ambition. Hamby provides an honest, incisive look at the rising politician's relationship with Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who sponsored his career from the county court to the U.S. Senate. We see how Truman, a ferocious and skilled fighter in factional party battles, tried to balance his sense of honor with his political loyalties. Free of corruption himself, he nevertheless refused to repudiate Pendergast even when the boss was sinking under the weight of his ties to organized crime. Hamby also offers the best account yet of Truman's critical years in the Senate, covering not only his World War II probe of the defense program but also his neglected and revealing populistic investigations of the railroads during the 1930s. He demonstrates that Truman was one of the most popular and respected members of the upper house. Hamby is particularly acute in his portrait of Truman's volatile presidency. He criticizes some aspects of the decision to drop the atomic bombs against Japan but concludes that, considered in context, the act was understandable and justified. Providing new insight into the Cold War, he identifies the Turkish and Iranian crisis of 1946 as crucial turning points in Truman's attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Thoroughly covering Truman's struggle for "liberalism in a conservative age," Hamby also sheds great light on the president's Fair Deal domestic program. Harry Truman, Hamby writes, was a flawed man--insecure, often petty and vindictive--yet one of the great presidents of the twentieth century. But Americans cherish him less for what he did than for who he was: an ordinary person who worked his way up the political ladder to the summit of power. In Man of the People, Alonzo L. Hamby provides a richly perceptive biography, giving us the best look yet at who Truman was, how he changed, and why he triumphed., Harry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon--the plain-speaking president, "Give 'em Hell Harry," the chief executive who put "The Buck Stops Here" on his desk. But Alonzo L. Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure, ambitious, a man of honor, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses. In Man of the People , Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctively American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Truman comes alive in these pages as he has nowhere else, making his way from the farmhouse, to the front lines in France during World War I, to the difficult small-business world of Kansas City--all the time struggling with his deep feelings of inadequacy and immense ambition. Hamby provides an honest, incisive look at the rising politician's relationship with Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who sponsored his career from the county court to the U.S. Senate. We see how Truman, a ferocious and skilled fighter in factional party battles, tried to balance his sense of honor with his political loyalties. Free of corruption himself, he nevertheless refused to repudiate Pendergast even when the boss was sinking under the weight of his ties to organized crime. Hamby also offers the best account yet of Truman's critical years in the Senate, covering not only his World War II probe of the defense program but also his neglected and revealing populist investigations of the railroads during the 1930s. He demonstrates that Truman was one of the most popular and respected members of the upper house. Hamby is particularly acute in his portrait of Truman's volatile presidency. He criticizes some aspects of the decision to drop the atomic bombs against Japan but concludes that, considered in context, the act was understandable and justified. Providing new insight into the Cold War, he identifies the Turkish and Iranian crisis of 1946 as crucial turning points in Truman's attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Thoroughly covering Truman's struggle for "liberalism in a conservative age," Hamby also sheds great light on the president's Fair Deal domestic program. Harry Truman, Hamby writes, was a flawed man--insecure, often petty and vindictive--yet one of the great presidents of the twentieth century. But Americans cherish him less for what he did than for who he was: an ordinary person who worked his way up the political ladder to the summit of power. In Man of the People , Alonzo L. Hamby provides a richly perceptive biography, giving us the best look yet at who Truman was, how he changed, and why he triumphed., Harry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon of the plain-speaking president, 'Give 'em Hell Harry', the chief executive who put 'The Buck Stops Here' on his desk. But Alonzo L Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure, ambitious, a man of honour, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses.In Man of the People, Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctly American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Truman comes alive in these pages as he has nowhere else, making his way from the farmhouse, to the front lines in France during World War I, to the difficult small-business world of Kansas City - all the time struggling with his deep feelings of inadequacy and immense ambition. Hamby provides an honest, incisive look at the rising politician's relationship with Kansas City political boss Tom Pendergast, who sponsored his career from the county court to the US Senate. We see how Truman, a ferocious and skilled fighter in factional party battles, tried to balance his sense of honour with his political loyalties. Free of corruption himself, he nevertheless refused to repudiate Pendergast even when the boss was sinking under the weight of his ties to organized crime. Hamby also offers the best account yet of Truman's critical years in the Senate, covering not only his World War II probe of the defence program but also his neglected and revealing populistic investigations of the railroad during the 1930s. He demonstrates that Truman was one of the most popular and respected members of the upper house. Hamby is particularly acute in his portrait of Truman's volatile presidency. He criticizes some aspects of the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan but concludes that, considered in context, the act was understandable and justified. Providing new insight into the Cold War, he identifies the Turkish and Iranian crisis of 1946 as crucial turning points in Truman's attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Thoroughly covering Truman's struggle for 'liberalism in a conservative age', Hamby also sheds great light on the president's Fair Deal domestic program. Harry Truman, Hamby writes, was a flawed man - insecure, often petty and vindictive - yet one of the great presidents of the twentieth century. But Americans cherish him less for what he did than for who he was: an ordinary person who worked his way up the political ladder to the summit of power. In Man of the People, Alonzo L Hamby provides a richly perceptive biography, giving us the best look yet at who Truman was, how he changed, and why he triumphed., Harry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon--the plain-speaking president, "Give 'em Hell Harry," the chief executive who put "The Buck Stops Here" on his desk. But Alonzo L. Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure,ambitious, a man of honor, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses. In Man of the People, Alonzo L. Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctively American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Truman comes alive in these pages as he has nowhere else, making his way from the farmhouse,to the front lines in France during World War I, to the difficult small-business world of Kansas City--all the time struggling with his deep feelings of inadequacy and immense ambition. Hamby provides an honest, incisive look at the rising politician's relationship with Kansas City political bossTom Pendergast, who sponsored his career from the county court to the U.S. Senate. We see how Truman, a ferocious and skilled fighter in factional party battles, tried to balance his sense of honor with his political loyalties. Free of corruption himself, he nevertheless refused to repudiatePendergast even when the boss was sinking under the weight of his ties to organized crime. Hamby also offers the best account yet of Truman's critical years in the Senate, covering not only his World War II probe of the defense program but also his neglected and revealing populistic investigationsof the railroads during the 1930s. He demonstrates that Truman was one of the most popular and respected members of the upper house. Hamby is particularly acute in his portrait of Truman's volatile presidency. He criticizes some aspects of the decision to drop the atomic bombs against Japan but concludes that, considered in context, the act was understandable and justified. Providing new insight into the Cold War, he identifiesthe Turkish and Iranian crisis of 1946 as crucial turning points in Truman's attitudes toward the Soviet Union. Thoroughly covering Truman's struggle for "liberalism in a conservative age," Hamby also sheds great light on the president's Fair Deal domestic program. Harry Truman, Hamby writes, was a flawed man--insecure, often petty and vindictive--yet one of the great presidents of the twentieth century. But Americans cherish him less for what he did than for who he was: an ordinary person who worked his way up the political ladder to the summit of power.In Man of the People, Alonzo L. Hamby provides a richly perceptive biography, giving us the best look yet at who Truman was, how he changed, and why he triumphed., Harry S. Truman is remembered today as an icon of the plain-speaking president, 'Give 'em Hell Harry', the chief executive who put 'The Buck Stops Here' on his desk. But Alonzo L Hamby shows that there was more to Truman than the pugnacious fighter so prominent in popular memory. Insecure, ambitious, a man of honour, a partisan loyalist, an agrarian Jeffersonian Democrat who became a champion of big government, Truman was a complex figure who fought long and hard to triumph over his own weaknesses. In Man of the People, Hamby offers a gripping account of this distinctly American life, tracing Truman's remarkable rise from marginal farmer in rural Missouri to shaper of the postwar world. Throughout, Truman is shown to be emblematic of American democracy during the first half of the twentieth century.
LC Classification NumberE814.H28 1995

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