Where the Buck Stops the Personal and Private Writings of Harry S. Truman

by Harry S ~ edited by Margaret Truman Truman

Shortly after he left office, President Harry S. Truman began to write down his typically blunt, honest commentaries about FDR and his other colleagues, the job of the presidency, the workings of the government and the Constitution -- and his picks for the nation's best and worst presidents. Since he minced no words, Truman asked that these writings -- sometimes funny, sometimes very serious, always to the point -- be released to the public only after he and Mrs. Truman were gone.Now, this totally frank book by the thirty-third president, lovingly edited by his daughter, Margaret, has been published at last. In it, Truman speaks clearly in his own inimitable voice, and with the down-home, across-the-back-fence feeling of a born storyteller from Missouri, he tells you exactly what's on his mind about these and other

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Presidents, Politics, American History, Memoir

Paperback

First published February 4, 2015

Reviews

[Les Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cried at the end of this book. Truman doesn't devote a single word to self promotion and he shows his unswerving devotion to FDR and to what he believes to be those policies that are in the best interest of the country as a whole. The book serves as a primer for U. S. history but is written in a very personal and informal manner. It gives the reader the feeling of a fireside chat while discussing past presidents and policies. Harry Truman does not mince words when voicing his opinion. I was very interested in discovering his thoughts and feelings about dropping the atomic bomb. He did a pretty good job of answering those questions. I had hoped that Truman would devote more than a single chapter to his time in office but the book has piqued my interest in further investigating a number of key players in our history including Andrew Jackson, Aaron Burr and FDR.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably I'm too biased to write a proper review on account of I have a tattoo of HST on me, forever. He is one of my absolute favorite guys in all US history. (And not necessarily just for presidential reasons.)





...for real

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really glad I read this and will read it again sometime. I laughed quite a bit at his honest way of talking and this book is a wonderful history lesson written as if he stood in front of class and lectured or (as someone else mentioned) as if he's speaking across the kitchen table carrying on conversation. I learned a lot, too, about truths they skip teaching us in school. I haven't seen my 74 year old dad read a book but he's asked me for this one. I have a feeling that for him it will be like catching up with an old friend.

[Jim Dulin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical analysis by a a hard working President

I enjoyed this history of our presidents by the only President from my state, Missouri. I am from a historical Union and Republican since part of the state. While President Truman didn't carry his own state against Dewey, he has since been appreciated as one of the best presidents. This book should be required reading in public school American History classes.

[Richard Baum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truman's Own Words

I've read numerous Presidential books but of all of them this might be my favorite. President Truman pulls no punches and you know exactly where he stands when he discusses Ike, FDR, and others. He also shows an excellent knowledge of history and a keen intellect. This book is a hidden gem!

[Donna L. Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Truman my hero

President Truman is honest and straightforward. Good history lesson. Loved the footnote explanations from daughter Margaret. Enjoyed his listing of the best and worst presidents and his explanation why.

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing like a history lesson from Harry Truman. His light touch and personal reflections on all the presidents provide much insight into Truman's mind revealing his feelings about leadership and success. A very enjoyable read.

[Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where The Buck Stops starts with an intro from Harry S. Truman’s daughter and this book’s editor, Margaret Truman, who said her father wanted this book, published posthumously by design, to be “frank and honest…No words minced; no punches pulled.” And did Truman deliver? Absolutely. Here we get to read all about his most unflinching thoughts about every one of his presidential predecessors and even a few successors. Truman lauds the likes of Washington, Jackson, Polk, and Lincoln and he has choice words for many others. He calls Pierce “a nincompoop,” Grant “a sleepwalker,” and Taft “a fat, jolly, likable, mediocre man.” Some opinions seemed obvious, others striking. Truman held Theodore Roosevelt in little regard, a showman more than a doer, and he called Wilson “the greatest of the greats” and credited TR’s greatest success to ensuring Wilson’s victory in 1912. Truman holds nothing back against his successor, Eisenhower, even going so far as to have an entire chapter titled “Why I Don’t Like Ike” and called Eisenhower “a dumb son of a bitch when he got out of his uniform.” But Truman also offers practical insight into the qualities he believes are essential to being a good president; from the benefits with garnering controversy to understanding the enormous tasks associated with the administrative tasks of the presidency. Additionally, there’s plenty of American and global history to be found here too; from details about early colonists in Georgia to Hammurabi and the French translations of cuneiform. Which can be to the books benefit when the material is interesting, but also to its detriment where pages upon pages feel more like ramblings than anything else (though Truman himself seems to admit as much on occasion, with one chapter ending with the sentences, “This chapter has gotten to be a bit long. Let’s continue in the next one.”) Suffice to say, Where the Buck Stops offers fascinating insight into the 33rd president and is an unfiltered look at the man and his beliefs on the presidency itself.

[noreast_bookreviewsnh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where The Buck Stops by Harry S. Truman
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The personal and private writings of our 33rd President, (1945-1953) Harry S. Truman. In this work we get treated to the opinions of a former president on a wide variety of topics including his rankings of the best and worst presidents of the United States, his opinions on what makes a successful president and leader, and much of our country’s historical events and background. Harry is quite the storyteller and doesn’t mince words in some of his personal opinions on former presidents, for example, he called Franklin Pierce a “nincompoop” which is just hilarious. Truman had his daughter Margaret wait to publish his journals until after he and his wife died because many of the opinions and judgements were a little harsh and many of the people in the book were still living. Harry Truman definitely ranks in the top 10 best presidents for me personally; he was a straight shooter and didn’t deal with BS while getting things done, with his slogan being “the buck stops here”. He did a remarkable job being president after FDR died in office and had to make many hard choices, such as dropping the atomic bombs on Japan, the Berlin airlift, recognizing Israel as an official state, and battling Russia in the Cold War. Give ‘em hell Harry ! @harrystrumannps
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#harrytruman #president #harrystruman #missouri #independence #presidentialsites #usa #journal #bookstagram #readersofinstagram

[Darryl Downing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good old Harry

I had often heard that Harry Truman was a straight forward person who spoke plainly and clearly. This book certainly authenticates that. I was clearly impressed with his understanding of leadership and the qualities one needs to be a leader. Truman was definitely a Democrat and perhaps a liberal one, but I wonder what he would think of the Democratic Party these days and their platform. I love his style of writing and his practicality which comes through in this book. He had to make some tough decisions, but I think he made the right choices. His comments on several past presidents shows he was a real historian who could interpret past events and human nature well. He’s a president I’m proud of and although the book doesn’t make that assessment it’s one that follows from reading it. It is well worth reading.

[Huston Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

History, according to Mr. Harry Truman

I chose this rating because Mr. Truman read a great deàl and carefully vetted the books he describes so well in this writing. He knew a great deal about the history of this country but not in just events. He also took time to portray the people involved and made them stand out as living, breathing, humans who had all the foibles that we, as citizens and countrymen and women ,share.

[Amy Chizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who Knew?

This is one of the most interesting books I have read. There is a lot of information here on the presidents in particular and American history in general. I've given it 4 stars because I felt there was too much history that is fairly well-known, so it could have been pared down a bit. This is good history in a simple format and language that I would encourage anyone to read. Margaret Truman's footnotes are informative and well-written.

[Hans Rigelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Truman's Look at American History

This is a very interesting and entertaining review of America's past presidents from one of our most colorful presidents of the last century. Who were America's best presidents? Well, if Washington, Lincoln, and FDR are on your list, then you and Harry are on common ground.

[B. D. Seals · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always admired President Truman for his honesty and plain talk. After reading this book, I can say that he was true to my image of him. I appreciated his insights, his opinions, and I was impressed by his vast knowledge on this subject. He actually changed some of my own perceptions of a few of these men.

[Sondra Stark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting historical synopsis

Truman was very obviously a thoroughly educated man despite his "just a common man" persona. I would wonder how he would have reacted to our current political situation.

[Andrea Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a plain-spoken, almost folksy, style Former President Harry Truman muses on the presidency and American government. Also included are his assessments of his predecessors and his successor, and his take on American history.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read.

I loved this book. Harry Truman is one of my favorite Presidents. These words are straight from him. Not from a reporter or a different writer, from the man himself. I found it genuine and refreshing.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest Harry

What an enlighting book on the presidents and a brief history of some of the event's surrounding the elections of the executive branch

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty boring - a slog to read through. It also isn't well written. He also didn't like any Republican presidents, so not very credible.

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frankly, I might get back to this book, but I stopped reading. I really didn't care for the writing style nor what I was learning about this president.

[Don Male]

Well done. Took me back in time when living under his leadership.

[Mrs.b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while, and it was worth it. Still my favorite President;)

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. Then definitely had a solid opinion of all of the presidents. It sounded as though he had been a history buff for a long time and studied history especially US and done a lot of research. The man called a spade a spade.

The book was written in quite plain language. A lot of sentences were run on that made keeping the train of thought difficult. Harry loved to use "and" a lot. Many sentences could have been shorted by eliminating the ands and starting new sentences. Considering "personal and private writings," it seemed as though Harry wrote down as he thought about his subjects. I think that he was concerned with getting his thoughts down and his message recorded and was not particularly concerned by the ultimately correct sentence structure and grammar.

Criticize if you will, but I liked reading the information in the book.

[Aaron Million · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't so much a book as a collection of President Harry Truman's views on former presidents interspersed with his commentary on the history of the country. Certainly partisan, as one would expect with Truman - who was famous for being honest and pulling no punches with people. The book was not particularly well-written, as Truman frequently repeats himself and jumps around - talking about presidents that he thought were very poor, then beginning a sort of American history lesson, only to go back to talking about presidents.

Truman was vicious when it came to Eisenhower, even devoting a chapter just to how bad of a president he thought Ike was. This reflects his bitterness (not entirely unjustified by any means) at his relationship with Eisenhower turning sour throughout the 1950s. He was not objective concerning Eisenhower. In the same vein, he steered clear of criticizing his friend President Herbert Hoover, even though he had no trouble criticizing Hoover's two predecessors - Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Hoover's philosophy on government was very similar to those two Republicans, yet Truman brushed lightly over Hoover's horrible handling of the beginning of the Great Depression.

He also minimized any deficiencies that FDR had (I am a big fan of FDR too, but there were many things that he did wrong/were not admirable about him). But what I disliked the most was that he would list election results too often - giving the actual popular and electoral votes along with the states that certain candidates carried. Ahh! Too much.

Still, I like Truman, and it is nice to read honest opinions by someone who functioned well at the highest level of power.

[suzanne berman · Rating 5 out of 5]

History

Not only. Did I enjoy this book thoroughly but it helped me to refresh my history regarding past presidents and growing pains of our country.

[Willadale · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to read this book, but it wasn't because it was boring. Far from it!

Harry Truman was the President of the United States when I was born, but I really didn't know much about him at all. This book is a combination of his personal writing plus notes from his daughter Margaret. It basically discusses the history of the United States as shown through the various Presidents who served from George Washington through to Dwight Eisenhower.

I have never been that interested in history of any kind, but this book has changed my mind. The reason it took me so long to finish the book is that I was constantly referring to Google to read more about the people, places, or history of the time. It was fascinating!

Truman daringly spoke about the positive as well as the negative aspects of each President, looking not only at his time as President but also the years leading up to and following each man's presidency. He even went so far as to list the ones that he felt were the best and those he deemed the worst.

He was brutally honest in his evaluations and I found myself wishing that he could write about the Presidents who followed him in the most important position in the country. Perhaps another historian will eventually pick up where Truman left off and present his or her honest thoughts about them.

I highly recommend this book.

[Vincent Lombardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe that Harry Truman was one of our greatest Presidents, and I admire his candor. He was a blunt, plain spoken man.

But there is a fine line between being blunt and being boorish, and I think that President Truman crossed that line many times in this book, especially regarding President Eisenhower, whom I believe he treated very unfairly, and who I also believe was a great President. I think that Truman treated some other Presidents unfairly, too, such as John Adams, Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt.
On the other hand, he was much too generous to Andrew Jackson and Andrew Johnson.

After awhile, this book became rather repetitious and predictable; Truman animadverts about something or someone once again. It is telling that Truman did not want this book published until after he and Bess Truman were dead. Perhaps he, too, saw that his criticisms were often unfair.

[Bruce Whitmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book. Then definitely had a solid opinion of all of the presidents. It sounded as though he had been a history buff for a long time and studied history especially US and done a lot of research. The man called a spade a spade.

The book was written in quite plain language. A lot of sentences were run on that made keeping the train of thought difficult. Harry loved to use "and" a lot. Many sentences could have been shorted by eliminating the ands and starting new sentences. Considering "personal and private writings," it seemed as though Harry wrote down as he thought about his subjects. I think that he was concerned with getting his thoughts down and his message recorded and was not particularly concerned by the ultimately correct sentence structure and grammar.

Criticize if you will, but I liked reading the information in the book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an author, Truman is not as fascinating as he was in public life. His writing is very much "stream of consciousness," filled with euphemisms and colloquialisms that cheapen the thoughts he is trying to convey. Though he presents his book as a history of the United States (going back to the time of the pilgrims) it carries a significant flavor of his own perceptions as a liberal policy-maker. His opinions about what makes a president or a public figure great or a failure are nearly offensive in their over-simplification.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book. I'm not a big fan of political books, but this one is written in an informal, almost gossipy, style that fascinated me. Truman gives us his opinions of the presidency, presidential history, his list of good and bad Presidents and why he ranked them as such. Don't expect impartial journalism and don't expect to completely agree - these are Truman's opinions, after all - but having sat in the hot seat his opinions are worth respecting.

This is a great book.