The Incredible Tito: Man of the Hour

by Howard Fast

a classic vintage 1940s era biography of the Yugoslavian leader who held the region together through sheer force of will (which immediately Balkanized into uncivil war right after he died)

Fast’s fascinating biography of Joseph Broz, known to the world as Tito, including his rise to power and his remarkable stand against fascism

The world was mired in the Second World War when Howard Fast wrote The Incredible Tito. Upon the book’s publication in 1944, there was still no united Yugoslavia, the Axis controlled most of Europe, and D-Day was only in the planning stages. In the Balkans, Tito was a beacon of hope against the advancing Nazis. He led a force of resistance fighters that bedeviled the occupying German army throughout Slavic regions and empowered people’s committees to act as local government in all liberated areas. For observers on the political left, Tito seemed uniquely poised to unite the East and West against fascism—once and for all.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author’s estate.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History

61 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Howard Fast was one of the most prolific American writers of the twentieth century. He was a bestselling author of more than eighty works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays. The son of immigrants, Fast grew up in New York City and published his first novel upon finishing high school in 1933. In 1950, his refusal to provide the United States Congress with a list of possible Communist associates earned him a three-month prison sentence. During his incarceration, Fast wrote one of his best-known novels, Spartacus (1951). Throughout his long career, Fast matched his commitment to championing social justice in his writing with a deft, lively storytelling style.

Pseudonyms: Walter Ericson, E.V. Cunningham

Reviews

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️

This a really short book written by Howard Fast and published in 1944. The Incredible Tito is a segment of the life of General Joseph Broz better known as Marshall Tito. It is amazing to me that while WWII was still raging this book was written to honor the work of a partisan soldier who rose through the ranks to lead the rebels in Yugoslavia to drive the Germans out. Apparently the recognized government and leaders in Yugoslavia kowtowed to the Germans while the partisans did not. Tito was actually successful in reclaiming most of the country and keeping the Germans from occupying Yugoslavia for the remainder of WWII.

There was an interesting 6 or 7 page biography of Howard Fast as the end. I knew he wrote a lot of novels but I really knew nothing about him. He was influenced by one particular book written by a Jack London (The Iron Heel). Jack London’s book put Howard Fast on the path of advocacy for human rights and fighting Facism. He joined the American Communist Party in 1943. He was an outspoken critic of McCarthyism and was called to testify in Congress before the Un-American Activities Committee. He refused to divulge the names of other members of Joint Anti-Fascist Committee. Subsequently, he served three months in prison for his efforts. It was in prison when the idea for Spartacus came to him. He self published it in 1951 because he was blacklisted by all major publishers. He got even though, because the book was made into a film in 1960 and was the highest grossing film that year. Also picked up four Academy Awards.

I suppose I told you more about the author than the book itself. The only other work of Fast’s that I recall reading is The Immigrants (perhaps in the 1980’s). I am really scrambling to meet my 120 book challenge and this 60 some page “novella” hit the spot for me.

Goodreads 2024 Challenge - Book# 110 of 120

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It whets the appetite for a longer biography. An excellent and short biography of Marshal Tito written during WWII. It centers almost exclusively on his military prowess against the Nazis. It leaves me curious to read more about the rest of his life after the war. Fast was an American communist who suffered through McCarthyism and a blacklisting in Hollywood before being embraced with the success of Spartacus.

The eBook was formatted fine with only one noticeable spelling error.

[Rubin Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting WWII war story

This was an incredible telling of Yugoslavia in the time of World war two
I've never even heard of Marshall Tito it's a shame we haven't been taught his life's amazing story
while certainly not a complete telling of this period of history it has inspired me to look further into this man This Revolutionary leader deserves to be placed in mention of that era's other prominent figures Churchill Stalin and FDR

[Sharon Zink · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that Tito was a maverick communist; that he favored socialism but not Soviet communism. I was happy to learn more about him through this book. Howard Fast was a former member of the communist party and remained a leftist all his life. So possibly this book is biased. But it still is interesting, compelling, and informative.

[Sekhar N Banerjee · Rating 1 out of 5]

very bad

This is the worst war story, I have read. No maps and no way to visualize, how the two armies were positioned. It reads like a fairly tale, where protagonist always triumphs

[Pablo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a magazine article in book form. Ok as an intro into how Tito rose to power, fought off the Germans and internal Yugoslav opposition and eventually became the powerful force of this region. 3 stars

[Gandalf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars given for reading it as a document of the time.

[Douglas Larson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting biography of Tito during WW II.

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was offered for free on BN.com.
The Incredible Tito is 54 pages out of an available 61 pages, with the remaing 7 pages for the author's biography. It was written in 1944, and it was recently published in 2003. Fast's writing is worth more than two stars; the two stars are a warning that this is an incomplete biography if a reader wants something more, as the 2003 publication date might imply.
I recommend it only for students of Tito or students of the writing of Howard Fast.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is a short read, so I had little expectations. I actually found the about the author, Howard Fast to be more interesting (and about as long) as the biography on Tito. Decent brief info on Tito and Yugoslav resistance in World War II.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

For someone who is interested in WWII battles, this is the book for them.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short book telling about Yugoslavia's push against Axis forces. Good.