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, "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, "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, "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
