Truman

Biographies are one of the oldest types of historical writing and can be found in the literature of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. They focus on the lives of important political and military leaders and, with the rise of Christianity, clerics and saints. A famous example from the late Renaissance period is Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists (1550) which features dozens of biographies of well-known artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. As the genre evolved in the modern period, biographies focused not only on the facts of a person’s life but also on their feelings and the overall historical context.

At over 1,000 pages, McCullough’s biography of Truman is extensive and thoroughly researched. The author relies on a variety of sources: personal correspondence, legal documents, newspapers, and other media, his own interviews, oral history, journals and diaries, military records, various types of official records linked to Truman’s political career, photographs, and even archeological artifacts such as a century-old recovered steamer with cargo. As the narrative heads into the 20th century, the information becomes more detailed and diversified. In contrast, the documentation about Truman’s ancestors from the pre-Civil War era is more limited. For example, McCullough points out that there are better records about Truman’s mother’s family (the Youngs) than their Truman counterparts. McCullough attempts to weave these different sources into a coherent narrative and make his narration as objective as possible. Using sources like interviews and letters balances out the potential dryness of historical facts and makes the biography’s subject more relatable.

Truman’s character and life story usually take precedence over the historical events amidst which his life took place. For example, McCullough discusses the Great Depression in a vignette style relevant to specific characters. The author points out that Kansas City did fairly well in that period of economic hardship although many suffered in Missouri and around the country. As Truman rose to the senatorial rank, McCullough describes him as a New Deal man despite his problems with President Roosevelt. The reader learns the political behind-the-scenes but is expected to be familiar with the general historical circumstances. The author makes occasional asides to briefly inform the reader of key events such as the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. But he typically goes into detail only when discussing the events in which Truman participated directly. One of the only exceptions is the question of Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons. Here, McCullough provides some relevant historiography and focuses on the key debates about this decision. It is perhaps because the strikes were so devastating that McCullough feels the need to explain Truman’s decision. In other cases, the reader may benefit from using additional historical literature on the relevant subjects.

The other controversial issue is Truman’s racial views. On the one hand, Truman championed civil rights, including equality under the law for Blacks and the establishment of a Jewish homeland for European Jews who survived the Holocaust. On the other hand, he frequently used racial slurs and stereotypes in his private life even when at the highest levels of political power; and in the 1920s, he briefly joined the hate group Ku Klux Klan. While such language and beliefs were not atypical for that time, McCullough sometimes seems to excuse Truman’s failings as a force of habit and a result of peer pressure.