Truman Books

Harry S. Truman has been the subject of some superb biographies, but none of them does more than briefly mention his long affiliation with Freemasonry. Roberts's book fills that gap in reports on the life of one of the most fascinating public figures of the twentieth century. Harry Truman, who was a Freemason for over fifty years, founded lodges, worked tirelessly for Masonic charities, and arose to the acme of Missouri Freemasonry as elected Grand Master of Missouri Masons (a nearly full-time job) while a U.S. Senator (that alone highlights his famous and formidable energy). This book goes into exceptional detail about his Masonic life, and rescues what was an important part of his career from the neglect of historians. Allen Roberts is not as elegant a writer as some of Truman's biographers, but he is competent, clear, and thorough. No matter what your opinion of Freemasonry is, if you are interested in Truman this belongs on your shelf. No understanding of this remarkable American is complete without it.

I remember how avidly (at age 15)I followed by radio the excitement which was the 1944 Democratic Convention. This little book does an excellent job of trying to tell what happened behind the scenes, and reads like a novel--where one must continually remind oneself that it IS going to come out all right, that Truman will be nominated, that he will go on to be an outstanding President, and that some things do work out for the best. An entralling and fascinating book, it brought back to me all the excitement which permeated Chicago and the people who were following what went on there in those momentous July days in 1944.

With some 200 illustrations, including many photos by the author, and with vast documentation from Netherlands archives, Jeremy Bangs has provided a uniquely valuable and fascinating account of how the "bare ruined choirs" of churches in the Low Countries reveal the "before and after" of the Calvinist Protestant image riots of 1566 [the correct date in the title, by the way]. It will enrich any study of 16th-century Dutch and Belgian history. Art historians are using it, and other historians will do well to pay attention. Prof. Dr. C. O. Bangs (admittedly and proudly the author's father). cobangs@worldnet.att.net

Both inspirational and humbling to listen to the voice and intellect of such a great man. Such command of the English language and speaking skills unmatched! After listening to him speak you will see how pathetic in intellect and moral character our politicians of today are. I've finished his biography as well and coupled with these speeches he emerges as one of the greatest men of our or any time. I cannot recommend enough these tapes or his biography, it filled me with a renewed sense of purpose and conviction in life. If there was a phrase to sum him up it might be "never give up" on life or one's possibilities to achieve. Buy these tapes!

While David McCullough's more recent biography of Harry Truman has received widespread recent attention, Robert J. Donovan's earlier biography published in 1977 has much to recommend it. Whereas McCullough's extensive volume covers Truman's entire life, Donovan zeroes in on the pivotal period of a pivotal presidency. Donovan begins as Truman takes over the awesome responsibility of the presidency after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. Donovan covers in perceptive detail Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan as a means of ending World War Two. Donovan follows the war to its conclusion, and also focuses carefully on the exciting 1948 presidential campaign, when Truman scored one of the greatest upsets in American political history by defeating heavily favored Republican nominee Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York.

Donovan turns an astute eye as well on Truman's great foreign policy accomplishments of the Marshall Plan, the Truman Doctrine, and the creation of NATO. As a Middle East historian, I was benefitted by his thorough presentation of the controversy leading up to the granting of recognition to the new nation of Israel, and how Truman's decision was crafted.

I would urge that any dedicated Truman scholar should read both the McCullough and Donovan volumes. McCullough covers a wider perspective, while Donovan, on the other hand, gives broader coverage to the pivotal foreign policy events from 1945 to 1948, as well as Truman's sensational upset victory over Dewey.

The 52nd volume of the Truman State University Press "Sixteenth Century Essays and Studies" series, Constraint On Trial: Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert And Religious Freedom by Gerrit Voogt (Kennesaw state University, Kennesaw, Georgia) is the close study of Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert (1522-90), an individualist poet, playwright, translator, and controversial figure who dared to defend the values of tolerance and freedom of conscience. Examining his "Synod on the Freedom of Conscience", the "Trial of the Killing of Heretics", and many, many other works, Coornhert's ideas, impact and legacy are scrutinized in this fascinating volume. Constraint On Trial is a strongly recommended contribution to Sixteenth-Century Studies supplemental reading lists, as well as university level academic European history, culture, philosophy, and religious reference collections.

The Contentious Triangle is a tribute for Harvard Professor emeritus George Huntston Williams. Contrary to what Amazon.com lists in their entry for the volume, the editors are actually Rodney L. Petersen and Calvin Augustine Pater, and it is in honor of his 85th birthday, rather than his 90th. Both the scholarship and the contributors of this book are first rate. Contributors include Jaroslav Pelikan, Peter Gomes, J. Bryan Hehir, Edward Idris Cardinal Cassidy, Harold O.J. Brown, Heiko Oberman, and Demetrios Trakatellis, among others. This group of internationally repected church historians, church leaders, philosophers and theologians write on subjects that span the history of the church, in the spirit of Williams own overarching perspective of the discipline.

I did my Junior Paper on Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," and while doing research in the NY Public library, I came across this book. It was by and far the most helpful of the sources I found. This is a compilation of various essays from literary critics who comment on many of Capote's works. I firmly believe that this book gave me a solid foundation in the analyzing of Mr. Capote's novel as well as a better understanding and familiarity with the idiosyncrasies of his works. I would recommend this book to anyone who is attempting to gain critical input on Capote, as well as to anyone who is simply interested in Capote's writing. The obvious drawback is the stratospheric price, but if you can stomach it, this book offers nothing but quality.

With a keen eye for historical significance, Kevin Hogan surveys the formation of the national security establishment in the Truman and Eisenhower years. A balanced account, this treatment emphasizes the human factor in the arduous negotiations and political conflicts which took place during the late 40's and 50's. A fresh look is taken at Truman, Eisenhower, and the lesser players at the time: Herbert Hoover, Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, and Sen. John F. Kennedy. Those not thoroughly familiar with the events of the period will be moved at the story of the nation's top admirals in brazen defiance of Pres. Truman, or the nervous collapse of Truman's beleaguered war secretary. Requires a moderate attention span, but political buffs should enjoy it a great deal.

Jack Dunphy's literary career was doubly cursed: first by his tendency to write hard, dark, and often bleak stories, the kind that rarely stand much of a chance with general audiences; second by his long relationship with Truman Capote, which had the effect of putting the far lesser-known Dunphy even further into the shadows. Those few who bother to seek out Dunphy's work now usually do so because they are Truman Capote fans and are curious about Capote's long-time paramour; but the fact is, unless a reader's taste in fiction is unusually wide-ranging (as I like to think mine is), the reader who likes Capote is very unlikely to enjoy the fiction of Jack Dunphy. Two more different writers, indeed, can hardly be imagined. Where Capote is lyrical, Dunphy is hard-edged; where Capote is sweet, almost sentimental, Dunphy can be merciless.

And "Dear Genius" is exactly the kind of brilliant Dunphy fiction that is practically guaranteed to alienate Capote fans. Yes, fiction: "Dear Genius," though billed as a memoir, is actually a *novel.* It does include Dunphy and Capote as characters (Dunphy narrates some sections), and one can safely assume that there is a good deal of factual material in the sections describing their lives together (or, more often, not together). But, in a move so audacious that one can hardly find words for it, Dunphy has interlaced a purely fictional narrative into the material, the story of a doubting priest, Father Synge, whose faltering faith is given a boost by a random encounter with an aging and drunk Truman Capote. But Father Synge is not really fictional: as Dunphy's headnote indicates, Synge is really himself, another version of himself. And Capote appears in a different guise too: as a brilliant young black boy named Robert Deveraux whom it will be Father's Synge's job to save from a dysfunctional mother. Truth and fiction, fiction and truth are interwoven here in scenes that can be so moving they bring tears to one's eyes---never more so than in the devastating final pages, as Father Synge comes to Dunphy's house to tell him that Capote has died. The final paragraph of "Dear Genius"---heartbroken, heart-breaking---deserves to rank right up there with Joyce's description of the falling snow at the end of "The Dead." Yes, it really is that good!

But "Dear Genius" is probably doomed to remain out of print and unread. The book irritates Capote readers, and in part they are justified in this: emblazoning the cover with the words "A Memoir of My Life With Truman Capote" is clearly false advertising, and it should be known that the subtitle was not Dunphy's but his publisher's (Dunphy had subtitled the manuscript "A Tribute To Truman Capote," which is vastly more accurate). But, over and above this, Dunphy is simply too demanding for many readers; he asks too much of those who are looking in his writing for something "like" his vastly more famous friend. Dunphy was like no one but himself. But if you are a reader who can rise to the challenge of difficult and utterly unique writing, do yourself a favor: find, read, and re-read a copy of "Dear Genius." (And while you're at it, do the same with Dunphy's "John Fury" and "Nightmovers.")