Truman Books

Michael Sowder's "The Empty Boat" carries the reader on a journey of loss, recovery, and grace. Sowder's poems record stages in an ongoing spiritual quest under the sign of the crow, Sowder's totem animal. Rooted in the natural world he knows so well, Sowder's vivid images continually take flight: " I float into sleep / at ten thousand feet, / the night giving wings to our bones," he tells the lover he has courted throughout the book, even while acknowledging the contrary urge toward solitary communion with nature. In fact, Sowder's delicate love poems leaven the terror and mystery the poet finds in nature--as when the "glittering bodies" of frozen fish turn a lake into "a jeweled cemetery, / an illuminated manuscript / we were tongueless and terrified to read" ("Luddington Beach, Lake Michigan"). Embracing sly humor, Whitmanian exuberance, and Taoist spirituality by turns, the poems in "The Empty Boat" continually delight the imagination.

Michael Sowder's new book of poetry, "The Empty Boat", is simply riveting. I picked it up intending to read a few pages and save the rest for another time, but I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. It is exciting reading! Well done, Michael. Well done.

This is easily the best new book of poetry in years. Michael Sowder guides the reader through the intricacies of the natural world and the inner life. His vivid language and haunting imagery recall James Wright and Li-Young Lee, with the narrative power of David Bottoms. This is a voice to cherish. Buy this book now. You will find the boat far from empty. Let Sowder carry you downriver with the most expert of J-strokes.

I heard about this collection of poems from a colleague. He told me that Michael Sowder is one of the finest new poets to come out of the American romantic tradition. To be honest, I've read very little poetry of late that has moved me, so I was thirsty for something to catch my attention. I purchased "The Empty Boat" and begin reading...and reading. For the first time since I was a teenager, I have found a poet that speaks to that longing for simplicity, adventure and purity which saturate our adolesence but mysteriously dry up as we age and wear in our shoes. Sowder teaches us once again how to see the world through an innocent eye. He leads us, guides us. Indeed, he is a sort of Counselor directing us ever onward, ever forward. Bravo to Michael Sowder, the "Counselor".

If you like walking down memory lane or just catching glimpses of life before your time, this is a very good resource. The background info given to help understand the mindset of the 50's is especially helpful. Though I found the book enjoyable, I do think the writers reflected left leaning bias.

This is a great book on the 1950s that is not a nostalgia piece by a long shot. Many people think of the period as being a dull, conformist decade devoid of cultural and artistic milestones, but this book eloquently proves otherwise. The 1950s was a decade of atomic-age fears, triumphs in the arts, progress and failure in racial equality, the rise of youth culture, and the shift from rural and urban to suburban lifestyles. The book covers all these topics thoroughly and insightfully, as opposed to just being a bunch of facts and pretty pictures (although it does have these things). The visuals really bring the period to life and add to the understanding of the subject rather than taking away from it. Highly recommended to both the casual reader and the serious scholar.

For another highly-detailed book on the 1950s that is less visual in nature, also read David Halberstam's tome "The Fifties."

I first saw this book advertised in an issue of 'Reminisce' magazine and knew I had to have it. When it came, I was more than pleased. One of the special things about this book is that each year of the decade of the '50's is highlighted with stories, pictures, and graphs detailing the many things that happened in thay particular year. There are many color pictures and advertisements of the times as well.

The quality of the book is superb. The binding is very nice and it is a book you will treasure whenever you want to take a trip to those wonderful, happy days!

Very much a nostalgic look backwards rather than a dry academic survey of the Fifties but this was dictated by the editorial format, which is picture and caption based. Each year has a six-page introduction followed by spreads that all have a colored panel on the left with text relating to events that happened each month or day. The rest of each spread is devoted to photos and graphics with comprehensive captions.

I rather liked the way pages mix news events with pop culture and everyday living. For instance the spread for part of March 1954 has six images, a sport and news photo (about Salk polio vaccine) a photo of blues singer Joe Turner, a book jacket, an LP cover (actually celebrating the work of cover designer Jim Flora) and last, an Archie comic book cover. They all get long captions that fortunately have something to say and give plenty of background information. Many spreads have additional colored panels for a longer look at a personality or event. You can just browse the pages or look up something in the comprehensive twenty-five-page index.

Another reason I liked the book is for its excellent production. The paper is good quality and the layouts simple and straightforward. There are about a thousand images, news photos are mostly in black and white but all the pop culture items are in color. It is these graphics: movie posters, book and magazine covers, comics, record covers, ads that frequently make the pages sparkle.

Overall a lovely book and made all the more worthwhile because I bought it at a very reasonable price. Take the trouble to check out the title with Amazon's More Buying Choices or internet book comparison sites and you'll be surprised at some bargain prices.

BTW There is a Sixties volume (ISBN 141271009X) too. Just as comprehensive but the design is not so attractive.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

These lectures by Truman Madsen are excellent. I've listened to them over and over and never cease to be inspired.

Truman G. Madsen is one of the most knowledgeable and respected LDS Church lecturers one can find. Throughout his life, Madsen has lectured on Mormonism, both to friendly, and not-so-friendly audiences alike. All the while, gaining the respect of many scholars, writers and theologians.

These series of lectures present the life of Joseph Smith in a way that is both powerful and unique. From his early life, to his study of religion, to his founding of the LDS Church, to his relationships with family and others close to him, to his death at Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith is discussed in Madsen's lectures in an easy to understand format. Regardless of what you may have heard already about Joseph Smith, these lectures are enjoyable.

Nothing Madsen discusses is sugar coated here. He goes over, in detail, Smith as boy, young adult and a man. Weaknesses, strengths and everything in between. There's no question Joseph Smith was a complex individual, and many aspects of Smith's personality and character are discussed here.

I totally recommend these series of lectures to LDS Sunday School teachers, soon-to-be missionaries, and anyone else, regardless of their faith or background, who really wants to understand more about the life and mission of Joseph Smith.

Truman Madsen writes like an Oxford Scholar. The story of the Prophet Joseph Smith was amazing. Madsen covers some of the most powerful stories of trial and trumphet in the prophets life. This is a small book and readable in a few hours, but total engrossing in its content. This is not a dry documentary about the prophets life, but describes the incredible pressures, criticism, and divine interventions that established Joseph Smith as one of America's greatest figures in history. More people around the world are awakening and wanting to learn more about Joseph Smith and I recommend this book as a great introduction.

Truman Madsen has always been a favorite author of mine, and these lectures on Joseph Smith reinforce that feeling. I have read much on the life of Joseph Smith, but these lectures brought out several stories that I had not heard before. Madsen does an excellent job highlighting the prophetic and human qualities of the great latter day seer. One can feel the love Madsen has for Joseph Smith in his voice.

I recommend this series of lectures for those that want to learn more about Joseph Smith from a believing scholar who has spent most of his life studying him.

This is another title that reminds me why truly excellent books are named by the Chief of Staff Air Force to his annual reading list.

Anyone interested in 20th century American defense and the emergence of the military/industrial complex should include this in their reading.

History buffs will love this book. Roll and McFarland have done an exception job in explaining a very interesting and important part of our history--the lead-up to WWII, the election of Truman, and the preparation for the Korean War--through Louis Johnson, assistant secretary of war and secretary of defense. The style of the book reminds me a lot of No Ordinary Time, an exception book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. A great read.

It was fascinating to read about a fellow West Virginian's trials and tribulations in Washington. The book improved my understanding of the politics surrounding the US entry into World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Moreover, the story of Louis Johnson serves as a great cautionary tale of how naked ambition can derail otherwise promising careers in government and politics.

This history can be fairly grouped with McCullough's "Truman" and Acheson's "Present at the Creation" for any study of postwar (WWII) national and international politics. I found it a quick and easy read, informative and well written.

I have used this book in my undergraduate intro to management classes, and besides being good for learning about crisis control, it's a fabulous lesson in the value of honesty and caring. Many young people are not willing to take responsibility for errors, and the upshot of the book is "figure out what to do when things go wrong, and then, without admitting fault, own the problem and set about finding a solution." Now it's in paperback it's an even greater bargain.

Cohn has been there and done that. She carefully dissects well-known crises in the news and lets you know how they could have been handled better, and more important, how you can survive and thrive if similar crises were to hit you and your company.

Robin Cohn explains in a simple and easy way how to manage a crisis; She mostly writes about "what not to do" in a crisis and "what to do" to prevent a crisis... I was expecting a couple of guidelines of "what to do" during a crisis and I din't get to much of that.
The cases explained in the book are excellent examples and Cohn does a great job on relating every thing she says with an example.
The book would have been even better if some international crisis examples have been mentioned; This would have been extremely useful for Latin American PR Consultants.
I recommend this book to every crisis Manager because of the examples and case studies that Cohn writes about..

This is the best book I have read on how to prepare for and handle public relations crises. It is incredibly up-to-date and timely, featuring material in its introduction about the public relations aspects of the currently occurring recall of Firestone tires being used on Ford Explorer vehicles.

Business has become one of the favorite whipping boys in the media to provide temporary diversion from the usual stream of personal scandals, talk show confessions, and entertainment releases. Do a good job, and you will seldom appear. Be remotely connected to something harmful, controversial, or threatening, and the world is at your door. Ms. Cohn does a very effective job of explaining why this is, and how you can influence it.

The book is organized around 7 deadly sins in a public relations crisis. These sins are really mindsets that are mistaken and will usually prove harmful:

It will never happen here (chances are it will)

I don't care how it looks (the more you ignore it, the worse you make things, up until the day that everyone involved is fired)

Let them eat cake (describing things inaccurately just draws more wrath and personal jeopardy)

It's not our fault (customers and the public aren't looking to find out who's at fault, they want to know who's going to take responsibility for solving the problem so they can feel confident again)

Just say "No comment!" (people will assume you are hiding something and more negative attention will come your way)

Just numbers on a balance sheet (the source of all the damaging material will probably come from current and former employees -- good internal communication and behavior are most critical)

React first, think later (you can step into a mess from which you cannot extract yourself, like quicksand)

These sins and the stallbusting solutions for them are detailed in each fascinating chapter. These sections are enlivened by a wide variety of former crises handled unsuccessfully (such as the Exxon Valdez) and successfully (such as J&J's Tylenol recall). Almost all of them will be familiar in general, but you will get added detail to help you understand why a company did or did not do well.

Ms. Cohn herself is very experienced in this area and draws on personal examples in many cases, especially the crash of an Air Florida jet in Washington, D.C.

The basic lessons revolve around the concept of establishing crisis scenarios and practicing how to handle those scenarios before they occur. You also get directions for how to do the practice so it will be relevant and realistic. This benefits of this type of simulation training are also spelled out well in The Art of the Long View, which you may wish to read as well.

The book is filled with an enormous quantity of do's and don't's. I found it hard to keep track of them all as I went along. I was pleased to see many of the concepts behind them summarized on pages 329 and 330. You might find it easier to absorb the material in the book if you began by reading the introduction, then went to these two pages, and returned to the beginning of the book.

The management process described here would work well in any problem-solving environment. Although the author does not make that point, you should be sensitive to it. You have a lot more to gain by studying this book closely than you realize, and broadening its application. Stalled thinking is also a problem in other critical areas of a company.

Remember that an ounce of prevention can often be worth much more than a pound of cure!

In this seminal work, George Huntston Williams gives a comprehensive overview of the different movements involving the more radical elements of the Reformation. This work sets the bar for all others works related to Anabaptists and Spiritualists during the Protestant Reformation.

As a comprehensive introduction and a terrific bibliographic resource for introductory through graduate level research, there is no finer text on this area. Furthermore, the changes in the new edition are terrific; they make the text more accessible and also, more coherent. This is a "must have" for any student of the Renaissance, Reformation, or liberal religious studies.

Williams' life work is every bit as comprehensive, rich, detailed, and essential as the other reviews suggest. In its original 1962 edition, it has long been one of my favorite historical/theological monographs, especially notable for its ability to make a gripping and involving story out of a huge mass of detail and a hugely diffuse movement. But I would add three caveats: (1) this approach forces Williams into making facts fit the story a little better than perhaps they really do (a matter of some controversy); (2) such wide-ranging scope means that Williams is not necessarily as reliable or up-to-date in some details as one would like (he repeats, for example, some old-fashioned but generally discredited attributions for the Wycliffite version of the Bible)--such things should be checked elsewhere; and (3) the vastly expanded 1500-page third edition reads in places like a copy of the first edition with interleaved note cards. It could have used the services of an editor. Sentences are run on forever, or dropped abruptly; typographical errors abound; and the syntax is often so full of ill-punctuated qualifications and strange non-English habits (post-posited
adjectives, verbs deferred or widely separated from complements) as to defy easy reading and sometimes to slip away from idiomatic or intelligible English altogether. Note e.g. the first sentence on p. 1246 (intelligible in the 1st edition; broken in the 3rd), or the remarkable one-sentence paragraph on pp. 4-5 or the even larger two-sentence paragraph on p. 12. So: an immensely valuable book, but one to be used cautiously and enjoyed as much as an in-progress 'pardon our mess' scholarly jumble as a tidy finished work.

Professor George Huntston Williams invented the term "Radical Reformation", and The Radical Reformation is a text that is indispensable to anyone who is serious about understanding this most important and pivotal period in history. I assign this text for my courses, and expect that my students will find it a valuable reference tool as they go on to teaching -- and to ministry within a dissenting religious tradition. While I recognize that there is a recent interest in the Radical

Reformation, with much that is new, exciting and compelling in scholarship and inquiry, I don't know how one could begin to understand the complexities of this period without having Professor Williams's book on the subject. It would be comparable to trying to understand the World Wide Web without knowing anything about computers. All of us who care about The Radical Reformation are indebted to Professor Williams, who is currently the Hollis Professor Emeritus at Harvard.

This book is a fascinating look at a period of western history not usually covered by fiction writers.
The author brilliantly uses real characters and events to weave a story which is both entertaining and informative.
The characters are, in most cases, composites of several people who lived at the time. What struck me most was the lack of incomplete story flow - usually I have to stop and wonder why the author did not have the characters do a particular act, or glosses over some detail which would enhance the story. I am too often left having to mentally fill in a story, even one written by our foremost talents. But this author seems to anticipate the nip-picky reader, and takes care of the small details in a very-complete manner.
I found it hard to put down, but he conveniently provides stopping points where the reader can lay the book down, and come back to continue the story later.
A great read - I encourage those who admire L'Amour, Brand, Haycox and others to read this one. They will not regret it.

Jon Bauman gives realistic details of the old West, including the tragic and the crude as well as beautiful descriptions which cause you to empathize with the characters. The culture clash betwen Anglo and Mexican is skillfully done and his story depicts how one person's decision can influence the outcome of historic events. Having hiked the entire Santa Fe Trail, and having written two books about it, I was thrilled to go down the Trail again with his story and recognize familiar sites, now with "real" characters in the experience.

Santa Fe Passage provides an outstanding perspective on the history of New Mexico. It brilliantly captures the cultural diversities between the Mexican and American peoples, their attitudes and expectations. The reader can eastily identify with the various characters as they progress through the tumultous times prior to the invasion by the U.S. army. It's a fascinating, historical novel. This truly should be a "must read" for all those living in New Mexico! And, a "highly recommended" read for anyone interested in the Spanish culture and its influence on the development of the United States.

There have been many novels about the Santa Fe Trail, most of which tell little if anything about the historic route, but Santa Fe Passage is based on extensive research and is by far the best historical novel about the Trail. Jon Bauman, an international lawyer with special interest in Latin America, has written a readable, entertaining, and informative story that rings true.
Trail historians will know the sources of many of his characters and their stories, including the first U.S. woman to travel the Trail with her family and operate a hotel in Santa Fe, a woman injured in a carriage accident who miscarries her child at Bent's Fort, a Jewish trader and merchant in Santa Fe, a Mexican woman who owns a gambling establishment and assists Mexican officials and American traders, a governor who is in and out of power in Santa Fe as changes occur in Mexico City, a village priest who opposes the Anglo influences, and the main character Matthew Collins who runs away from an apprenticeship and becomes a Santa Fe trader who marries into a prominent Mexican family and is selected by President James Polk and Senator Thomas Hart Benton to persuade the governor of New Mexico to allow Stephen W. Kearny's Army of the West to occupy Santa Fe without resistance in 1846.
Bauman has a good understanding of all three cultures affected by the Santa Fe Trail, and he creates a number of realistic characters, not stereotypes, for all of them: Anglo, Indian, and Mexican. He has researched the history of the Trail, with help from historian Mike Olsen, and the book is endorsed by historian David Weber. The interaction of the American traders with Mexican citizens is done well. Purists may argue that Bauman has moved some events in time and place (for example there was no Bowie Knife in 1826 and Raton Pass was not an option for a wagon train in that year), but this is creative fiction based on history; just enjoy it.
Not only is this finely-crafted, thoughtful, and sophisticated novel a good read, it will cause readers to want to know more about the history of the Trail. As one of the characters in the novel, Jack Marentette the mountain man, might say, "This is a splendiferous book."

This was a GREAT book.

The book was carefully researched, yet gripping to read. It was detailed and exhaustive, yet compellingly written. It was long and informative, yet it was a real page-turner -- I couldn't put it down. In short, it combines many elements which are rarely found together.

Mithers is a true journalist. She treats her subject with balance, care, and professionalism; but she still manages to be engaging.

I was a student of Riggs Courier at UCI in 1970. Joe Hart and Riggs had quite a following with their charismatic personalities. I almost fell for it.

The copy of the book I obtained from Amazon.com had notes in it cross-referencing the fictitious names with the real names in the classes so I knew who was being discussed. What a find! I knew there was something fishy going on, but I had NO idea what a cult was developing. ...Facinating reading for those of you who were there.

SKD

As a child growing up , Richard stayed at our house, as he was the head of a corporation known as "fusion inc" i believe. At that time, I was about 5, he had told me that his PHD was in statistics. Fusion was a company that helped give new organizational and management tactics for large corporations. The target was KN energy. Later on it was found, when a company called "midcon" i believe dug it up, that he was involved in this counsling scandal in California. By talking to him you would have never known he was capable of these things. Weird huh?

This book was chilling, and I give it a full two thumbs up for being so clear, thought out, well-researched and well-presented. It gave a play-by-play account of how a cult is created, and how people in need of healing are sucked into it...and trade their lives away for membership in it. It is also a beautiful example of how compelling such cult life is, and shows some of the clear benefits - despite the horrors - of being in such a world: the community, protection, camaraderie, agreement with a firm point of view. These are things we all want and strive for in our own ways - but god, how much these people had to sacrifice to achieve it. They sacrificed themselves and their self-respect...and also built their world on a house of cards.

Mild criticism: I think author could have gone deeper with the book had she further explored the parallel relationship between the cult dynamics and the dynamics of its members' abusive families of origin (as does Alice Miller in For Your Own Good). I think all therapy - and all adult relationships - entails the risk of such a non-healing re-creation, essentially just acting out, but what's most frightening is when therapists, like those in this book, not only participate in it...but NURTURE IT for their own benefits.

Other criticism: the book was too long-winded. I could have happily read a condensed version of this book and gotten just as much out of it. 400+ pages was just too much, yet due to the book's ever-changing nature, it was a tough one to skim.

Carey's first book about Vietnam is profoundly written in such a way that the reader is joined along side the writer on the journey to finding home. The journey has been long and teadous. As well as being full of self-discovery about my own seeking of healing from the War in Vietnam. Like Carey, I too, was a medic. It took a long time for many of those who were caregivers to find the courage to take that first step to coming home. This book will gently ask you questions and you have to go deeper to find the significance for you. Carey's style of writing is unique in that he didn't tell us war stories or even shared the blood and the guts of being a medic. He wrote about loss of innocence, the helplessiness of being alone, to loss, to find ourselves again, to regaining hope, to finding the way home. This book should be read by all Vietnam Vets and their families who suffer from PTSD. Carey, through his writing and his encouragement began my journey home and taught me how to love myself again. I, too, have finally written my story of being a medic in Vietnam. "Poems In The Keys Of Life: Reflections of a combat medic". I can't wait for his second book. Thanks Carey for your friendship to me.
Kerry "Doc" Pardue

I met author Carey Spearman when I attended the Tet '68 Reunion in Hampton, VA in 2003. Carey was trained as a combat medic and X-ray technician. He served in Vietnam March 1967 to May 1968. He wrote his book Vietnam Veterans' Homecoming: Crossing the Line as "a straightforward but diverse account of one man's post-war journey toward homecoming and healing." AND it is just that!

This amazing book has not only helped Carey heal himself from the war but I believe it has helped other Vets who read it already. AND I think it will continue to help others in the future. I'd like to share some of Carey's passages with you so you can get a feel for what his book is like.

One that grabbed me actually made me think about all the people affected by one individuals life and death. "No one in Nam ever died alone. Someone always hurt for them....You don't know how many people loved him on his way home, or how many people mourned for him before you even knew he was dead. There are a lot more people in that coffin than you know."

For those Vets who have not yet been able to find a way to make it back to their families in one way or another Carey wrote "we have made ourselves prisoners of Vietnam here and are locked in by an open door." That's a profound statement.

He had memories of his family while he was in Vietnam and they came into his head at one point. He wrote "when I was small, my grandmother and mother would hold me when I was hurting and scared. It seemed to take the pain away....My grandmother and mother had put me in touch with my female side." Carey tried to do the same thing for his patients in Vietnam but he realized that "my grandmother and mother did not make the pain go away. They absorbed it. By them holding or touching me...I was not alone." While with his patients they "knew they were not alone. We took in so much pain. We hurt so much inside....There wasn't a patient that I touched who was not touched by the both of you [his grandmother and mother]."

Carey has found a way to express himself and help others as well as him on the road to recovery from the war. He wrote that "vets say, they live for their families....I haven't heard too many vets say they live with their families." So in writing this profound book of statements and thoughts he is hopefully helping other Vets with their own emotions and feelings.

He knows all too well about PTSD. He wrote, "I just want to live life. So I will stay just a little bit outside of your normal life, so I can have some control."

He realizes how families too are affected by the war and their loved ones serving. He commented "I want to tell you how much I am hurting but when I start to look into your eyes and see the fear, I don't want to hurt you, but I do want you to know that part of my life. I watch you shy away from me....I feel like I am in a glass bubble....I don't want to remain in here but the only way out for me is to talk about what I went through and let some of the pain out....Stay close to my bubble. As long as I can see you out there, I know there is a way out for me." He knows he can reach out to someone for help as long as he can see them and this works for others as well.

One of the more important statements Carey made is "We are Missing in America (MIA). Maybe the next time we hug as vets, along with saying, `Welcome home,' we should add, `thanks for what you did then, and what you are trying to do now.' If we don't recognize what we have done over all of these years, no one else will." Isn't it sad that the general public doesn't welcome home Vets the way we welcome home each other?

In the Prologue was written that Carey' book "delivers an honest treatment of the personal side of a controversial war. It provides people who have no military experience or knowledge with glimpses of military life during wartime, and inside views of the emotional struggles soldiers endure during their post-war lives." That it does and more! AND I too look forward to Volume II.

This is a book for all to read. Perhaps then everyone can understand what at least one Vet has gone through in his life dealing with his wartime service to our country. This is a must read book and should be in Vet Centers, libraries and bookstores around the country.

HEART TOUCHING, I MEET MR. SPEARMAN AT 2002 VETERANS DAY IN DC. HE TOLD ME THE BOOK HE WROTE HELPED HIM TO GET WELL! IM SO GLAD IT DID GOD BLESS HIM.

Carey Spearman reaches right for the heart with his poignant vignettes on life in Vietnam and at home. The very cover of his book reveals much about his message: Vietnam's wounds are not just carried by Americans, but by many more; nor are all jungles lush and tropical. The soldier depicted on the cover wears a mix of western and oriental gear. The soldier's shadow is simply a man's--without the trappings of war. The palms trees of Vietnam on the skyline give way to the concrete skyscrapers of urban America. Spearman's year in Vietnam amounted to a lifetime of tending the wounded and maimed of every sort of humanity: man, woman or child carried into the medic's ward. There he began to realize how war wounds not only the soldier, but the family back home, the villager in the jungle, the lover awaiting the letter that never arrives. Like good wine, Spearman's words come from years of reflection and hard work. They reveal a man who has come to terms with his own post traumatic stress and has accepted healing. He sees the world as filled with individuals. War takes it toll one by one. Families of those lost or wounded in Vietam or other conflicts, and anyone who has suffered a significant loss in his or her life will benefit from Spearman's vignettes. If you want to read something charged with deep emotion, yet minus the gore of "war stories," and one that helps to heal inner wounds, Spearman's book: Vietnam Veterans'Homecoming: Crossing the Line will be a wonderful read. For anyone teaching American history, or history buffs, Spearman's book casts a piercing light on the reality of war--its horror and far reaching effects. In language anyone can understand, this book is one I recommend for people who look for wisdom and a sense of peace. They will find both in Carey Spearman's reflections on life as a veteran of a war American wants to forget.

Having read Alan Axelrod's illustration of FDR, I had to pick up this book. Again, an amazing representation of the American spirit and perseverance. I don't know that Truman would ever have sought out the presidency had FDR not recruited him for VP. I have actually used a few of the lessons taught in this book in my own job, having been thrown ultimatums at inopportune times. Having the knowledge attained from this book helped me deal with the issues in a way I had never quite tried.

What really impresses me about Truman is his absolute decisiveness and resolution. And as history has come to show, the true legacy of a president is usually not evident immediately, rather many years down the road. I feel Truman's lessons will resound for centuries to come.

Author Alan Axelrod's 156 concise lessons on leadership from the life and writings of Harry S. Truman are vivid but, alas, often repetitive. The bigger paradox of this book is that many of the virtues it espouses - diligence, balance, thoroughness, patience and a thirst for learning - are thwarted by its very structure. Truman, a voracious reader, would likely have found these one or two page chapters frustratingly short. Any leader really seeking to model himself or herself on Truman should use this as an appetizer and move immediately onward to a meaty full-length biography or memoir. With that in mind, we recommend this book to executives and political leaders who haven't yet met Truman - or to those who only want a brief visit, a leadership pep talk and a few pithy quotes.

When Harry S. Truman left the presidency in January 1953, his approval rating stood at an historic low. But his reputation has been on a steady rise ever since. His blunt, plainspoken honesty has touched a responsive chord among Americans who feel their current leaders, whatever the party, offer them little but lies and double-talk.

Therefore, Truman seems a natural choice for the latest manual on leadership from Alan Axelrod. The author draws extensively from Truman's own public statements and private diaries to extract a series of 156 lessons on leadership, divided into a series of chapters with themes like "Hell: Giving and Getting" and "Do The Right Thing."Although primarily aimed at the business person, these lessons have value for anyone in a leadership role, including, of course, the poltical realm.

Truman's decisiveness, his high moral standards, his unwillingness to accept anything less than the best from himself or his colleagues all shine through in this work. A timeline helps place Truman's life in context, and the bibliography offers a number of potential sources for anyone with an intertest in further exploring the life and philosophy of our thirty-third president.--William C. Hall

Those who have read Patton on Leadership and/or Elizabeth I, CEO are already aware of Axelrod's unique talent for rigorously examining an abundance of historical and (especially) biographical information to derive especially important lessons in leadership. In this volume, his subject is Harry S Truman. (How much I would enjoy being included during a "fantasy dinner" with Patton, Elizabeth I, and Truman!) Within a dozen chapters, Axelrod identifies and then briefly but insightfully discusses 156 "lessons" to be learned from the life and career of the 33rd President of the United States. Axelrod also provides a "Truman Timeline" and "The Sources of Truman on Leadership" (suggested readings) in an Appendix.

Most experts on the American Presidency rank Truman among the greatest, a fact which would have astonished those old enough to remember when Franklin Delano Roosevelt died and Truman was sworn in as his successor. There was little in the background of "The Man from Missouri" to suggest that he was equal to the task during one of the most dangerous periods of his nation's history. World War Two was still in progress, what became the Cold War was developing, West Berlin would soon be isolated by the U.S.S.R.'s blockade, the Korean War lay ahead, and the quite legitimate threat of thermonuclear weapons created an unprecedented sense of menace throughout the civilized world. Truman did indeed rise to the task and as Axelrod correctly indicates in this volume, there are many important lessons to be learned from his leadership from 1945 until 1952.