Truman Books

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.")

As World War II slowly fades into history, old veterans are now giving their tales a final telling. Memoirs, books and final recollections fill the bookstores looking back on that great event that so marked and divided the world.

In the midst of such a plethora of material on World War II, there is little talk on its aftermath. Indeed it might be argued that what happened immediately after the surrender of the Axis powers shaped world history almost as much as the dramatic event itself.

Covering this fascinating time, Prof. Gregory W. Sand provides insight and historic perspective. As part of the Contributions to the Study of World History series, the book thrusts the reader into an end-of-the-war scenario in much the same way as President Truman was driven upon Roosevelt's death.

It becomes clear that the conflict's aftermath was not just the end of a war but the beginning of another one. With extensive headnotes, Prof. Sand traces the major concerns of the two victorious powers as they headed toward a series of crises that eventually gave rise to the Cold War.

Poland, Italy's Venezia Guilia, and the Austrian occupation were all matters that immediately threatened world peace. In the power vacuum that followed the Allied victory, the letters document the perfidious actions of Stalin who shamelessly exploited postwar chaos to build an "Iron Curtain" right down the middle of Europe.
Prof. Sand weaves together the threads of the two leaders' lives as he follows their postwar careers. Their friendship was especially cemented by their meeting at Fulton, Missouri, where Churchill would deliver his famed "Iron Curtain" speech introduced by President Truman. With Churchill's second premiership, their official correspondence resumed and with it all the problems raised by the Cold War.
While the book is excellent historical resource, the personal aspect cannot be divorced from the letters. More than just a political alliance, the book records an evolving friendship. What began as official dispatches with few personal references soon became formal correspondence addressed to "Mr. President" and "Mr. Prime Minister." This would later become the more intimate "My dear Sir Winston," and "My dear Harry." In a similar way, both men in the later years would send their best regards to the other's spouse and children and extend thoughtful courtesies.

Prof. Sand, Adjunct Professor of History at the Saint Louis College of Pharmacy, has provided this first full scholarly edition of the Churchill-Truman correspondence which will be an excellent chronicle of the aftermath of the war and will aid students in understanding this important period of world history. In documenting Stalin's brash post-war politics, it is a lesson in perfidy. By describing the eventual Anglo-American response, it is a confirmation that weakness has its terrible consequence and real peace can only bought through strength.

This is a beautiful collection of poems. I read the entire collection in one sitting and came away with the feeling of having experienced a journey from cloistration and seclusion to the discovery of love and faith. Each poem on its own is moving and Campbell is a true wordsmith, always tiptoeing up to the line of excess but somehow managing to keep her poems from becoming precious,overly private, or too erudite. The poet deftly navigates a series of 'tyrannies' or obstacles, and does so cleverly. Read together, the poems constitute a spectacular whole, as the reader has also navigated the various traps that the tyrannies present and has emerged, along with the poet, on the other side. _Erotic Distance_ is a fresh look at the peregrinations of the self in its search for the redemptive power of love.

I originally read this book about 30 years ago as the textbook in an LDS institute class. At the time I was very impressed by the content of this little book and decided to re-read it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again.

The book is a collection of 7 essays by Truman Madsen, about the LDS concept of man as an eternal being, which were originally published in the Instructor, the LDS church's magazine geared toward youth and young adults, starting in 1963. They were collected in book form and published in 1966. The book is only 80 pages long, but the concepts contained herein are profound and powerful. The book is geared toward LDS college students, who were asking "How do the arguments and positions of the various `schools' of thought compare with the teachings of Joseph Smith and of the Restored Gospel?"

The first essay is titled "Whence Cometh Man???" and is a summary of the next 6 chapters and discusses the foundational LDS doctrine of the pre-existence and highlights that men and women have always existed as uncreated and indestructible intelligences and are co-eternal with God. The doctrine states that we are spiritually begotten of God, and that physical life is to obtain a physical body and prove ourselves worthy to return to God's presence.

The remaining chapters cover the following issues: 1. The Problem of Identity, which reviews the LDS position on self compared with orthodox Christianity, Existentialism, and Humanism. 2. The Paradoxes of Creation, which discusses the LDS rejection of creation "ex nihilo" and its profound impact on many philosophies. 3. The Mind-body Problem, which talks about the Mormon view that the body and spirit combined form the soul of man and how the physical resurrection and permanent union of these is one of the objects of our creation. 4. The Problem of Human Freedom, which shows how humans truly are free agents and are not simply creatures and the impact of this thought. 5. The Problem of Evil, of Suffering, which can be explained much more easily given that fact that we are eternal beings here to learn to love and be tried and strengthened, which can only happen with true free will and its consequences. 6. The Problem of Self-awareness, which reflects on those flashes of remembrance some of us have related to the divine that many poets have discussed and how this relates to our spiritual pre-existence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to understand the most fundamental philosophical differences between LDS and others. It would be great to see this book reprinted once again.

I originally read this book about 30 years ago as the textbook in an LDS institute class. At the time I was very impressed by the content of this little book and decided to re-read it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again.

The book is a collection of 7 essays by Truman Madsen, about the LDS concept of man as an eternal being, which were originally published in the Instructor, the LDS church's magazine geared toward youth and young adults, starting in 1963. They were collected in book form and published in 1966. The book is only 80 pages long, but the concepts contained herein are profound and powerful. The book is geared toward LDS college students, who were asking "How do the arguments and positions of the various `schools' of thought compare with the teachings of Joseph Smith and of the Restored Gospel?"

The first essay is titled "Whence Cometh Man???" and is a summary of the next 6 chapters and discusses the foundational LDS doctrine of the pre-existence and highlights that men and women have always existed as uncreated and indestructible intelligences and are co-eternal with God. The doctrine states that we are spiritually begotten of God, and that physical life is to obtain a physical body and prove ourselves worthy to return to God's presence.

The remaining chapters cover the following issues: 1. The Problem of Identity, which reviews the LDS position on self compared with orthodox Christianity, Existentialism, and Humanism. 2. The Paradoxes of Creation, which discusses the LDS rejection of creation "ex nihilo" and its profound impact on many philosophies. 3. The Mind-body Problem, which talks about the Mormon view that the body and spirit combined form the soul of man and how the physical resurrection and permanent union of these is one of the objects of our creation. 4. The Problem of Human Freedom, which shows how humans truly are free agents and are not simply creatures and the impact of this thought. 5. The Problem of Evil, of Suffering, which can be explained much more easily given that fact that we are eternal beings here to learn to love and be tried and strengthened, which can only happen with true free will and its consequences. 6. The Problem of Self-awareness, which reflects on those flashes of remembrance some of us have related to the divine that many poets have discussed and how this relates to our spiritual pre-existence.

I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to understand the most fundamental philosophical differences between LDS and others. It would be great to see this book reprinted once again.

This omnibus is destined to be the standard work on Trumanistic though for years to come. Each of these five books is a gold mine in it own right, but uniting the sticks of thought so that the become one in our hands and in our minds is sheer brilliance.

Dr. Truman Madsen needs no introduction, and like Hugh Nibley, or George Durrant has become a non-General Authority authority on matters of theology and all things Mormon. This man has a steel mind, but speaks with a soft voice, and this gentle tone carries over into his prose. I cannot say enough about this nice man who is also nice in person–I held the door open for him once at the BYU Library. A very Gracious man.

The Fantastic Five are:

ETERNAL MAN: Dr. Madsen locks horns and crosses swords with many of the current philosophies, and shines the light of the Restoration in many of the dark questions of philosophy. THIS IS A MUST FOR ANY HIGH-SCHOOL OR COLLEGE STUDENT WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT IN THEIR SECULAR SCHOOL! You almost need a survey of philosophy class to understand this book, but the eager and industrious of any level can be rewarded with reading it.

After you read this book, get a copy of Dr. Madsen’s cassettes “Timeless Questions, Gospel Insights,” which rounds out his thought and brings the scholarship up to date.

FOUR ESSAYS ON LOVE: This alludes to C. S. Lewis’s “The Four Loves,” but attacks the question with the tools of the Restoration. Dr. Madsen discusses the sources of love, how to love and be loved (an essay on romantic/erotic love), Love at home, and tackles Human Anguish and Divine love. Not just for infatuated teenagers!

CHRIST AND THE INNER LIFE, THE HIGHEST IN US, and THE RADIANT LIFE are collections of speeches, talks and devotionals that Dr. Madsen has given over the years. Once again, each is spoken with a soft and encouraging voice, but with sharp reasoning and sound scholarship. He covers the entire theological field in these talks, and leaves roses everywhere he treads.

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Written by former Truman State University director of the graduate program in music David C. Nichols, Founding the Future: A History of Truman State University is an eye-opening chronicle of the proud history of Truman State from its visionary founding over a hundred years ago to modern changes and transformations, such as the introduction of value-added assessment and student reactions. Founding the Future also looks beyond Truman State's rich history toward its future legacy, from study abroad to the development of liberal education outside the classroom. Black-and-white photographs, notes, and appendices round out this glowing tribute to the evolution of an American font of higher learning.

Excellent book on love, includes Joseph Smith and the Sources of Love; How to be Loved and Beloved; Language of Love at home; Human Anguish and Divine Love. Written sequenically and very powerful statements on the source and meaning of Love.

The truth is that I never heard of these magazines until I read this book. And I am huge fan of Fresh Dialogues, although these new book sizes are slightly off putting and not really ideal. The cover design is really ugly. But the work inside is great as are the speakers and magazine moguls. I think it is a real look at what designers/publishers/editors are willing to do to create great content that is about the world we live in today.