Truman Books

I am a fan of Bruce Cook (Bruce Alexander) having read all his titles in the Chico Cervantes and Sir John Fielding series. My copy of Young Will: The Confessions of William Shakespeare arrived this week and I quickly finished it. A timeless tale of adultery, betrayal and murder, Young Will is all the more riveting because the central character is one of the greatest artists of all time. Whether or not you are a Shakespeare fan, you will be informed, entertained and on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages. The story is rich in historical depictions, as are all of the author's works. By beginning the story with "young Will", Cook shares with his readers the backdrop against which Shakespeare honed his craft. I knew Shakespeare by his works, and as a timeless poet and playright. Cook considers life for young Will as he may have struggled with manhood and the enormous difficulties of 17th century London.

This book is essentially a detailed and well-crafted piece of journalism with the level and quality of detail to bring it into horrific focus. One gets access to all sides of the murders of a family from the effect on the close relatives and friends to the emotional states of the murderers themselves and their final demise at the end of a rope. No one can escape this book without a large emotional wallop that will leave one's mind reverberating for some time. The book additionally invites questions concerning the limits and boundaries of journalistic integrity. When does the journalist step beyond his role as observer and become part of the story? And...Should the journalist do so and thus change outcomes? Disturbingly provocative in many ways.

An excellent piece of investigative journalism. Although called the first "non-fiction novel" I don't consider it a novel. To do so would suppose that journalism is objective, it is not, and anyway by most accounts Capote mostly got it right. It's gripping journalism, extremely well researched, and very American. The juxtaposition of Capote, a liberal New Yorker, among the conservative mid-westerners should not go unnoticed. It strikes a chord with the American paradoxical character of "the new" versus "stability"; change versus safety; the search for frontier versus authenticity; the fear of anarchy versus the fear of authority; liberal versus conservative. On the one side the ultimate in safety, security and authority is represented by the Clutter family - and on the opposite side the killers, younger and free, represent change, "the new" and anarchy. Capote instinctively tapped into this dialectic and became part of it himself as an upstart homosexual New Yorker in the middle of stable, secure and patriarchal Kansas. This sort of "meta" author mirroring the story is the real aesthetic and creative achievement that has kept it a classic while later "new journalism" works, characterized by their use of literary techniques applied to non-fiction, have rarely if ever exceeded Capote's initial genesis.

Truman Capote arguably invented true crime, and still dominates with this spectacular classic. He took years to finish this book, his last book, and it shows in the brilliant prose. This is among my favorite books of all time. I recommend to everyone.

This is a great read, a great novel, and a great edition. Capote's work, his illuminating approach to life, exemplified by the contrasts of the killers, the victims, and the hunters of the killers, is a great work of art.

The book reproduces the original 1965 edition and although the paper is not as heavy, it certainly beats the previous smaller Modern Library edition.

When will publishers learn that in order to compete with Brittany Spears, life, death, taxes, and childbirth, they need to give readers beautiful editions with real cloth covers and heavy cream paper, something to treasure. Not some cheap cardboard edition such as, say, my collected Ginsberg, which already is turning brown and edging out of the binding. I'd rather pay another dollar for a $50 book and get something that will stay intact.

I was a child when In Cold Blood was first published but remember the adults in my life talking about this controversial novel. After watching the two recent Truman Capote biopics (Capote and Infamous), I thought I should read it. I was surprised how much this 40+ year old book had to say about the anger, polarization and general lack of civility in today's society. A family is senselessly murdered in a small town in Kansas. Everyone in the town of 6,000 knew this family. After the murderers are apprehended, each minister in this community of 21 churches stood at his pulpit and spokeout AGAINST the capital punishment. Relatives of the slain family wrote a letter published in the local newspaper asking that prosecutors not pursue the death penalty. And when the murderers are returned to Kansas and are walked into the jail for booking, the audience who has gathered for this spectacle stands nearly silent. The town's citizens are relieved that it was strangers who commited this attrocity and they no longer have to eye their neighbors suspiciously. There is little talk of revenge or a sense of closure via the death penalty. What a fascinating view of our society on the cusp of the revolution of the 1960's and 1970's. READ THIS BOOK!

A lot of the business and marketing books on
Amazon get 5-star reviews. Maybe if you haven't
read some other books or been to seminars a
book like this one is a revelation. To me
it's not but it still articulates some good
ideas.

This is a very useful book for anybody who
is a marketing consultant - if you can incorporate
some of the patter in here into your sales pitches
clients will desperately want your ideas working
for them - and Abraham no doubt developed all
the numbers wizardry stuff to get clients.

There are a few stand-out chapters - I particularly
like the one on barter, because Abraham puts a
good spin on it.

Another reviewer thought this read like a Tony Robbins
book, which I don't agree with at all. This is,
by the author's admission, a book about business
philosophy - practical, but philosophy never-the-less.

Abraham's ideas here owe a lot to Claude C. Hopkins,
Elmer Wheeler, Robert Collier. He's a fan of all those
old marketing gurus and it shows. In an era of bad
customer service everywhere you look Abaraham stands up
for a more genteel way of treating clients - which is
valuable for any business that isn't following the
Walmart model of selling only on low prices.

There are no great insights here on direct mail or
copywriting - and the internet stuff is hopelessly
dated.

A worthy companion to, say, "Guerilla Marketing" or,
better I think,"Money Making Marking" by Jeffrey Lant.

Jay Abraham is that rare breed. A creative thinker who is also practical. A visionary who can also identify the day-to-day, first steps. Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got describes 21 ways to "out-think, out-perform and out-earn the competition."

I gained particular value from three concepts. (1) The directive to test, test and re-test. Often a small change in a sales letter or website can reap tremendous rewards.
(2) The "host-beneficiary" relationship. Find an organization that has access to the people you want to reach and joint venture with them. We see examples of this all the time (check the special offers in your credit card bill), and Jay explains how to go about the process.

(3) The importance of risk reversal. Give prospects an irresistible offer so that they will buy. Recognize that their lifetime value far exceeds any loss you might take during the initial transaction.

I hope Jay brings out a revised version that includes some of the online marketing tools and techniques that have become popular since the book was published in 2000. Still, his concepts can be as easily implemented online as off. His suggestions are practical and do-able. A good, readable synthesis from one of the world's foremost marketing experts.

This book has several time tested business secrets. They are used by wise business people all over the world with wonderful result. This really makes everything out of what you have got.

This is one of the best all round small business books I have ever read! No exageration. My previous experience of Jay Abraham is that he has some great ideas but that are wrapped in a verbose explanation. This book is concise and direct (which makes me think he either had a great editor or a ghost writer). Either way the result is fantastic and practical. Buy it.

Jay Abraham usually charges a fortune for his materials. I paid $150 for just a scaled down old set of some of his stuff. Yet in this one book you can find all the main principles that Jay teaches for a mere pittance.

There is no doubt that Jay Abraham is the source that many other writers have used to present principles of successful business. If you have not purchased any of his materials yet because of the high costs, then I suggest you get this book. It is worth its weight in gold.

I did find also that in this book Jay has scaled down his usually too high standard of English vocabulary and uses mostly normal language that most people can understand.

You will not regret the small investment you make in this book.

Truman Capote did an excellent job getting the reader involved with the characters in this short story. I did't want it to end.

Almost everyone has seen or at least heard of the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany's, but how many have read the original story? This book is a classic almost fairytale type story of a girl who is struggling with her past and trying to make herself, as well as accept, an identity. Truman Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's is an enchanting story, but is much darker than the movie version that the beautiful Audrey Hepburn graces the television screen in. Much of the slightly disturbing details were left out of the movie, keeping it light and airy and masking Holly's true role, whereas the novel holds a deeper interest, giving specific ups and downs in the life of the fairly subtley depicted call-girl, Holly Golightly. Happiness, pain, and a final finding herself ties the story together in a beautiful way. Also, at the end of the book, there is a sweet suprise, with three short stories also written by Truman Capote. Such a good read that I couldn't put it down, and finished all four stories within 24 hours.

Having never read anything by Capote, I decided to remedy that fault this summer. I read Breakfast at Tiffany's after In Cold Blood, and I was equally impressed with both. Unfortunately, I saw the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's before I read the book. While I liked both, they were quite different, and I preferred Capote's version. Holly Golightly is much more likable when portrayed by Capote because she's a deeper character.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book, however, was the short story "A Christmas Memory". Though some could consider it sappy, I loved the way Capote wrote it. He reveals so much about the characters and the setting in subtle ways. He has beautifully captured the way friendship affects people's lives, even if that friendship is cut short.

This collection is well worth the short amount of time it will take to read it. You won't be disappointed!

Breakfast At Tiffany's by Truman Capote ***


Breakfast At Tiffany's is an American literary classic, which spawned not only a hit movie, but a horrible number one hit song as well in the early 1990's. Tiffany's is a story of love, a story of loss, and a story of finding yourself, as well as staying true to yourself. We follow a man who is in love with the woman would is ultimately his best friend, though he does not realize that he is in fact in love with her until almost the end of the story, though to the reader it will become quite clear almost instantly, as the main character seems to be completely obsessed and infatuated with this women, but will not admit this to his self. That is basically the jest of the story. The girl can not find a place where she is happy living, and really is only happy in Tiffany's department store, where she believes that no one and nothing bad can happen to you there. Along the way criminals and drug charges are thrown in, but these just delay her search for happiness which she will not compromise for anyone.

In the end the plot seems to run thin and is in my opinion very, very long winded. Even for such a short story as this is I feel it could have been shorter. Capotes writing style is fantastic and it is clear why he went on to become such a legend, but honestly I do not understand the hype behind Breakfast At Tiffany's, I think Capote had plenty of better material.

Arguably the greatest writer of the 20th century, the only misfortune of Capote's work is that there is not more of it. In this somewhat peculiar collection of stories, Capote demonstrates his command of the written word. While one tale gives the book its title, another story shines even brighter in this collection.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a legendary work in the cinema, though fewer Americans every year realize it is based on a novel. While certainly more crude at times, the written version adds another intended dimension to the tale. In reality, Audrey Hepburn's potrayal was far too sanitized. "House of Flowers" is an odd story of a wife that never had the approval of her mother-in-law. "A Diamond Guitar" is a tale of prison friendship in which one character almost seems to be the adolescent male version of Holly Golightly.

"A Christmas Memory" is a story that some may find too sweet for their taste much like a Christmas fruitcake. But even better than the other tales in the collection, it symbolizes a friendship that ends far too premature for the characters. The youthful recollection is engaging enough to make readers recall elders, that have left this world before them, in yearning gaze.

Though this collection is tied together with a loose theme, it is a sample of Capote's command over language. With vivid details and command of plot, the knowledgeable reader will not be disappointed in Capote.

This was my first taste of Truman Capote away from Breakfast at Tiffany's, and I have to admit that I was blown away by these stories. Rarely does a story pull at my heart strings anymore, but these stories practically left me in tears. Incredibly moving.

We shared this book at our Christmas book club and were touched by Capote's writing.

Beautifully bound and covered. Wonderfully written; an understatement. Got it as a present for my son's English teacher. Perfect.

There is a sadness that colors all of Capote's writing. And there's also a sweetness and innocence. Capote set high standards for himself and it shows in his virtually flawless writing. "A Christmas Memory" is a classic holiday story written in the distinctive Capote style. And like all of his writing it is sweet and sad and superb!

Also recommended: Christmas Gifts, Christmas Voices--an excellent Capote-like tale of enduring and prevailing.

I read "Children on their Birthdays" twenty years ago. I found so many peculiar characters in the story, but they were all innocent. Also I felt a small dusty town in the south. Peculiar, innocent, and dustythey still impress on me. Three stories of literary calendartwo Christmas stories and one Thanksgiving in this book also take on peculiarity and innocence. Old cousins, dogs, and bullies they are all innocent. And so was Capote. However, I never found "dusty", but "breezy" in these stories. Capote is one of Haruki Murakami's favorite authors, and he translated some Capote's stories into Japanese. He translated them so good that we sometimes notice his original stories and his translation indistinguishable from one another.

I bought this book on a recommendation from a friend. My husband then pointed out I already had it in my collection of books not yet read. Decided to start reading it and haven't been able to put it down. What an eye opener of life as it can be. I have started working with it and have already found understanding and changing. Easy read, lots of food for thought, great book.

I purchased the book "Feelings Buried Alive", I have read parts of it so far but have not completed it. Just reading the "Probable Feeling Causing Ill-ness" is a great insight to different symptoms.... Thanks

I loved this book primarily for it's descriptions in the back portion which describes which body parts are affected by what emotions. A helpful tool in determining how your emotions and feelings manifest in the physical form.

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a great way to clear unwanted baggage out of you life and it teaches the importance of our words and thoughts.

Another book showing how emotions we bottle up and bury are still in us--not forgotten--and can cause us physical pain. A method for getting rid of the hurts/emotions is The Script contained in this book. Useful charts with physical pain and possible emotional causes that are at minimum food for thought! Also word association section which is great for reference. I also appreciate that spirituality plays a large role.
I believe there is a personal "readiness" factor (which has to do with anyone rating a mind/body book negatively). Some are just not ready to hear this kind of stuff yet. Some would say in disbelief "what! my knee hurts because I'm inflexible?" yet it makes so much sense! Westerners are conditioned to think that every pain is structural in origin, which is simply not true. I've had my own pain that was indeed healed by emotional healing. It takes effort to get rid of these feelings, but it's so worth it!
I enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it (yes, there are some typos esp. at the beginning). Invaluable information.

This is a quick, fun book to read: Truman Capote's writing, essentially exaggerated nonfiction (which makes for good storytelling), is crisp and concise and his stories consistently fast-flowing. (Well...the first story is a bit slow - though it does lend the book a fantastic title.)

Another thing that makes this book special is that although it's a scattershot of short stories spread over time and presented in no particular order, it reads like a cohesive book. I give Capote credit for that. (Of course, Capote is a character in each story, so he unifies the collection.)

But my criticism: The book lacks a positive message. Some of the stories are more positive than others, but mostly they're just an exercise in quality literary entertainment. It's clear that Capote, by the time of this writing, is very depressed. Although in the last chapter he drops his guard and admits to the obvious, that he's a screwed-up alcoholic, throughout the book he lauds alcohol as something great, and clearly takes pride in his constant drinking. Yuck!

Also, he has a fascination with murderers, crime, glitz, fame, sexual acting out, drugs, name-dropping, and a generally bitchy attitude toward his fellow humans. Sad that someone with such brains and talent and potential could make it to his 50s and still not work out his kinks - and not write a book that offers some new way to our troubled species.

And Capote gives his clues as to why he was so lost and stuck: his miserable, rejecting, abandoning childhood, and his lack of resolution over it. When he wrote of Marilyn Monroe (a particularly negative chapter in the book) as a "beautiful child," I think he was really writing about himself - the truth of who he was beneath his grandiose, fame-seeking façade: a traumatized, wounded, but beautiful little child. I can't help but love the guy; a real shame he didn't learn to love himself.

(He died a few years after writing this book, age 59.)

Music for Chameleons and Hand Carved Coffins is a diverse collection of short stories written by Truman Capote.
Music sets the mood in Fort de France on the island of Martinique as a silver haired aristocrat plays a Mozart sonata on a piano to the delight of the skittering chameleons.
Then there's Mr. Jones the blind wheelchair bound Brooklyn rooming house resident that turns out, in the end, to be nothing short of a human chameleon.
On a cold winter's night TC was fortunate to seek shelter and a phone in the house with the `Lamp in the Window' and a homeowner that was nocturnal, lonely and trusting.
`Hand Carved Coffins' is billed as a nonfiction account of an American crime set in an unsophisticated farm and ranch community. However, the string of murders apparently perpetrated by one person was anything but unsophisticated.
Truman Capote is as comfortable walking down Second Avenue with Mary Sanchez, the cleaning lady in `A Day's Work' as he was with friends at a posh reception in Turtle Bay.
The preface to the book gives an insight to the writing discipline TC exacted upon himself.
Keep a copy of `Music' as reference to a writing style you're not likely to see again.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews, my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday's Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
[...]

The Hurricane Hunters And Lost in the Bermuda Triangle

I'd been teaching In Cold Blood for two semesters and used the preface to this to introduce In Cold Blood, so I figured I might as well read the rest of the book. This is late-period Capote, mostly a mishmash of personal essays, anecdotes, and a novella-length true crime story.

First of all, the preface makes Capote seem like a self-involved jackass (which he by most accounts was - remember the postscript to the movie saying he never recovered from writing In Cold Blood?), but it also reveals his dislike for his own work, including In Cold Blood; he even says he went back and rewrote much of the novel, Unanswered Prayers, that ironically was never finished. About the work included in this book, he says basically two things:

1. He wants to "combine within a single form - say the short story - all he knows about every other form of writing"

2. Instead of consciously leaving himself out of his writing, "I set myself center stage, and reconstructed, in a severe, minimal manner, commonplace conversations with everyday people: the superintendent of my building, a masseur at the gym, an old school friend, [Marilyn Monroe, Robert Beausoleil, the two sides of himself - you know, everyday people]..."

So the book is divided into 3 parts, the first and third being mostly brief snapshots and anecdotes that seem kind of retrogressive to me, harking back to his early days writing about Brooklyn Heights, only now he's moved to the Upper East Side. The Marilyn Monroe piece is mostly trifling and I'm sure did no favors to her reputation, but has a clever, moderately powerful turn-of-phrase ending it. "Mojave," the only pure fiction included in the collection, is easily the worst apple in the bunch; it says a lot about the scarcity of good writing Capote was doing by this time, and really should have been relegated to post-mortem collections. The Beausoleil piece, like a few others in the collection, is pretty much just an interview transcript from his conversations with Charles Manson's cohort, but has some interesting, fairly astute comments from Beausoleil about Perry Smith and Capote's relationship with him. "Hello, Stranger" is also emblematic of other pieces here, as it reveals a growing, unsettling antipathy Capote has developed for the inhabitants of the world and his writing - an alcoholic old friend of Capote's comes to him for advice about an sexual encounter with a minor that never happened and his ensuing nervous breakdown, and Capote's foremost observations are that the guy is now thirty pounds overweight and used to have Capote write his English papers in prep school (he in turn did Capote's math problems).

The one piece that I would say could have been published by anyone outside a decrepit Truman Capote was the true-crime novella, "Handcarved Coffins." Most of it annoyingly also follows the interview/stage directions format (I guess that's what Capote was referring to when he said he wanted to transcend genre), but the plot itself is engrossing from the start. More than In Cold Blood it seems almost too implausible to happen, and unlike ICB Capote consciously makes himself a central character of this story of a renegade ranch owner-turned-serial-killer.

Overall, Music for Chameleons falls directly into the Read-It-If-You-Like-Capote category. It probably reveals more about his own (late-life) personality than any of his other work and has flashes of good stuff, but is almost laughably self-referential and self-congratulatory, especially the last piece, a silly dialogue between Capote (TC) and himself (also TC).

I read this the first time when it was first published in the 1970's, but, after re-reading it, I really didn't get the message. I got it this time. If I were to list the five best books I've read, this would be near the top of that list.

In the truest sense of the word, Truman Capote is a wordsmith. Even before looking at the context of a story, I am amazed by Capote's ability to to craft words together in a sentence for a powerful meaning. While I wish I had half of his writing talent, I also wish more contemporary writers were as gifted in composing prose as Capote.

In large part, "Music for Chameleons" fits into Capote's unique category "the non-fiction novel". I have noticed other reviewers have disputed some of the facts in this book which I will leave for them to debate. For purposes of this review, I will state that I enjoyed this book as will many others that are familiar with Capote's writing and the celebrity culture with which he was engrained. Aside from a small minority, the stories focused on ordinary people. The interview with Marilyn Monroe reveals a quirky side of her character which sheds light on a different side of her as a person. While I thought "Handcarvered Coffins" was the highlight of the set, I also enjoyed stories like "A Day's Work" and Hello, Stranger."

Some readers may pick and choose which stories from this set that they read or even enjoy. It is appropriate that Capote closed the collection with a self-interview. While initially evasive in his self-interview, Capote bring the collection of stories full circle with a beautiful simple theme.

As a pilot instructor with military navy air time I was riveted to read this veteran's narrative about his 35 missions.

Flying in formation through all that european weather in these lumbering explosive beasts had me tighten up just thinking of it and thinking of me doing just that. To sit in those aluminum cans and face down 20mm canon fire coming directly at you and just "taking it" until your face is turned into silly putty is also almost horrifying as you read it.

And all this from 20 yo kid; amazing who really won WW2 and my two uncles were Army pilots in the Pacific. My most cherished picture of them is visiting each other on some unknown pacific island; two kids from Manhattan fighting for their life and then coming home with malaria that lasted years. I'm sure none of these kids knew what they were getting into just the glamor of it mixed with rage of the Japanese attack.

He tops it off with 20 something lust and fantasy about losing his virginity which in today's anything goes at any age culture sees like from another country but still it adds to the stew of emotions you will experience along with him..............a terrific read for any pilot or WW2 enthusiast

This is the worst book that I have ever seen If this smith is a writer I think I wiii start writing . I am throwing it in the recyle.

I Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author is is good at emphasising the sounds and emotions he experienced and even semi-apologises for this at the beginning. A good judge of how good a book is, is how often you think back to what you have read in it. I have done this several times with The Wrong Stuff. A recommended read for someone with WWII aviation interests!

My husband, Dave Bender, enjoyed the book very much and has passed it along to friends who have the same interests.

I loved this book - it was unpretentious, genuine, and informative. Truman Smith conveys realistically what it was like for him - and it's obvious by his writing style no one "ghosted" it for him.

This is a damn funny book. I hope someone preserved the original tapes.

Merle Miller interviewed former President Harry S. Truman and the transcripts of those sessions formed the basis for this book. Truman minces no words and is mildly profane when discussing various subjects. Tell me, Mister President, what did you really think of Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower?

In their own small way, books such as this helped rehabilitate the reputation of Truman. At the conclusion of his presidency, he was not especially popular with the public or the leaders of the Democratic Party. On the whole, Truman tried to do his best and that ought to count for something. He made his share of mistakes, but it is not easy to wrestle with the venal politicians who run Washington.

This is one of the best Harry Truman books ever. Harry said it the way he saw it. He said Rockefeller was a traitor, Eisenhower was a coward, Billy Graham was a phony. He threatened to throw Joe Kennedy out a window. He said he should never have allowed the CIA to happen. Harry was a one of a kind. He may have been a three of clubs and not an ace of spades but he was nevertheless a one of a kind.

This book grew out of a proposed documentary film, and only later was it transcribed as a biography. It's not a particularly in-depth look at Truman, or the history of his presidency, but it adds a good bit of detail- much like David McCullugh's shallow but fascinating Truman bio. Plain Speaking is more of a hagiography (who coined that Great word?) than a critical look, but it's still interesting and useful.

It cements my view of Truman as a man of great character- but also brings out a serious flaw: Every one of his political opponents was "dishonest", "stupid", and so on. He trashed Eisenhower, trivializing his role in WWII, whereas the weight of most historians was that Ike's organizational skills were a major factor in the war. He trashes Wallace, despite having called him (and deservedly so), at one time, the best secretary of agriculture the country ever had.

Truman also tended to elevate those he respected, like Marshall and Acheson, and overlook whatever flaws they had. Part of this is that I think he was very much in awe of these men. And as many have noted, he knew nothing about economics and finance, but that was par for most people of his time. I was struck by how well read he was, and the depth of his knowledge of history, and his perspective; he probably surpassed just about any other president of the modern era (save Hoover) in this regard. He also knew the importance of reading multiple sources to get a complete view; for an autodidact his learning was impressive.

But at the same time his perspective could be a very provincial one. Truman's memory of people and events also seems to have been eroded with the passing of time, and changed to better fit his personal prejudices, but that's to be expected in a work like this. So read it both for the entertainment and for a better look into Truman's own perception of history. Just don't take his reading of events as the gospel truth.

Early in this book the writer mentions that the networks in the early 60s weren't interested in a TV series concerning the story of a controversial, plain talking former president and as Truman's story and opinions come out the reader can see why. In a time when the public still adored Ike and was falling in love with JFK, Truman had the courage the say that Joe Kennedy bought the nomination for JFK in 1960, that IKE was a coward for letting McCarthy attack Marshall ( saint in his opinion for literally saving the world from starvation and Communist domination), that MacArthur was mentally unbalanced and most interesting, that it was a great relief that that crazy liar Nixon wasn't elected President! I love books where the historian gets out of the way and lets the subject speak for himself and that is the essence of this book. A must read.

Oh man, if you are wild about Harry - or you would just like to get to know him a little better - this is your book. When we think in terms of "politically correct" old "give 'em hell Harry" didn't know the meaning of the term.
I first bought this book in paperback and read it. Then I got it in hard cover and read it again. I really liked this book. There is no doubt that Harry is a one of a kind but don't take my word for it. Get this book and see what you think for yourself.
I really can not believe the things that Harry Truman said. He called Billy Graham a phony; Eisenhower a coward;he threatened to throw Joe Kennedy out a window. He said Joe Kennedy bought the presidentcy for his little boy. He said Rockefeller was a trator.
When I read this book I just laugh and shake my head. It is hard to believe that a man in his position could say the things that he said. It is just unbelievable.

Buy this book...you will make money if you follow the advise to go with index funds...skip the brokers and money managers...they are salespeople trying to hack out a living.

Pre-2000 meltdown, I had control of $75k in an IRA. I watched and believed I could join all those people making so much before the Internet bubble burst. After the burst, my bubble dropped all the way down to $42k. Man, am I a great investor or what? Then, I read this book. Sold all the stock that was left, allocated into a "risky" portfolio of Index Funds ( I went a little deeper with the small cap value and international funds). Less than 7 years later and after many great nights of being able to sleep, north of $155k and counting. No trading costs. I rebalanced once. Now, if I only had put the original $75k in Index Funds instead of all that wonderful Internet stuff....lesson learned the hard way. Read this book, digest it and implement its investing advice..

Not for those who are active fund managers. The author makes quite a logical, compelling case to invest in his style. The main thrust is passive managed over active managed funds. He goes through statistics that support his position, and attacks publications who don't support. Like a lot of financial books, it gets a bit bogged in numbers at times, but overall the flow is excellent. It changed my investment approach.

Investors should recall that a 1990 Nobel Prize was awarded to three financial economists whose ideas helped legitimize what is known as 'modern portfolio theory' (MPT). MPT points to an investment strategy that author Larry E. Swedroe says is at variance with the interests and advice of the popular financial establishment (hence Swedroe's contentious title). For followers of MPT, stock and bond market prices represent, very efficiently, all that is known and expected by investors of a security. There is no evidence that markets systematically misprice securities. So, the market prices securities to their value. Markets work. A corollary is that no individual money manager will be able to consistently know more than the market. Wall Street's managed (active) efforts to exploit perceived market pricing inefficiencies fall short. Active managers are undone by higher fees and the taxes that trading profits generate. This is Swedroe's main argument with Wall Street. Stock selection does not work consistently or economically. Active management is flawed by its underestimation of market efficiency and its operating expenses. Bottom line: Money managers don't beat the indexes. Swedroe quotes Benjamin Graham, an icon for stock-pickers, near the end of his career apparently siding with the market efficiency school. Indeed academic research supports the idea that the most important factor in market returns is not stock selection but exposure to key asset classes (e.g., large or small company stocks, "growth" or "value" stocks, international or domestic stocks). Swedroe argues for passively 'managed' index mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETF) on the basis of their lower expenses and the market's efficiency. Investors should have a globally diversified portfolio of "low correlating" assets because of the unpredictability of certain asset classes moving in and out of favor. Investors seeking greater returns may find them with small capitalization and "value" stocks. Swedroe identifies a key tenet of MPT in Chapter 10, namely, how diversification works to increase the average compound return of individual investments within the portfolio. A little more detail might have been useful in this section. WHAT WALL STREET DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW is a helpful if somewhat repetitive introduction to the basic ideas of modern portfolio theory. The author revisits this material even more persuasively in his later book, RATIONAL INVESTING IN IRRATIONAL TIMES.

Some interesting points, but his claim about the efficiency of the market being always reflected in the stock price and there being "no evidence" to the contrary is garbage. He uses the 90's to show how Warren Buffet did not beat the market. But the 90's were an irrational bubble fueled by dot.com stock madness. When Yahoo stock was peaking, to justify that price, within 20 years Yahoo itself would have had to equal 1/3 of the entire U.S. economy!! There was NO WAY that Yahoo was not going to fall in price at one point, as it eventually did. Its price was hardly "efficient" at its peak. The market can be beat, and Lynch and Buffet have done it. And Buffet is famous for his patience in waiting A LONG TIME for his investments to pay off (which belies the ten year #). But most people do not have Lynch's and Buffet's minds and THAT's the reason most people should invest in index funds. And that's why Buffet himself recommends the average person invest in index funds. 60% of the US population is overweight. The average American lacks discipline. THAT'S why the average person should invest in index funds. His conclusion is correct for the average person, but not all of his reasoning.