TrumanTruman
Score Modern
What it's about
Harry Truman was a Missouri farm boy who served as an artillery captain in World War I, failed at running a men's clothing store, and rose through the Kansas City political machine to the Senate. Chosen as Franklin Roosevelt's vice president in 1944, he became president after only eighty-two days, when Roosevelt died. David McCullough follows him through the decisions that followed: the atomic bomb, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, firing General MacArthur, and his famous 1948 upset victory.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and became a bestseller and an HBO film. It's a warm, absorbing portrait of an ordinary man who became an extraordinary president.
You'll love it if you liked
John Adams
No Ordinary Time
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnGood to know
It's nearly 1,000 pages, but McCullough tells it like a story. The early chapters on Truman's Missouri upbringing are slower.
By the numbers
- Readers76 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics74 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller31 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #56 of the 198 history books we rank
- #60 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #156 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #303 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by David McCullough
John Adams
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914
The Wright Brothers
The Great BridgeIf you like this, read next
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The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
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American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
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Quick answers
Is Truman worth reading?
Yes. It won the Pulitzer Prize for biography and became a bestseller and an HBO film. It ranks #303 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 81.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Truman about?
Harry Truman was a Missouri farm boy who served as an artillery captain in World War I, failed at running a men's clothing store, and rose through the Kansas City political machine to the Senate. Chosen as Franklin Roosevelt's vice president in 1944, he became president after only eighty-two days, when Roosevelt died. David McCullough follows him through the decisions that followed: the atomic bomb, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, Korea, firing General MacArthur, and his famous 1948 upset victory.
How long does it take to read Truman?
About 28 hours (1117 pages), or about 8 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Truman won?
Pulitzer Prize (Biography) winner (1993).
What should I read after Truman?
If you liked it, try John Adams by David McCullough, No Ordinary Time by Doris Kearns Goodwin or Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.