Truman cover art

Truman

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free + £10 Audible voucher

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Truman

By: David McCullough
Narrated by: Nelson Runger
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £23.53

Buy Now for £23.53

The Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Harry S. Truman, whose presidency included momentous events from the atomic bombing of Japan to the outbreak of the Cold War and the Korean War, told by America’s beloved and distinguished historian.

The life of Harry S. Truman is one of the greatest of American stories, filled with vivid characters—Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Wallace Truman, George Marshall, Joe McCarthy, and Dean Acheson—and dramatic events. In this riveting biography, acclaimed historian David McCullough not only captures the man—a more complex, informed, and determined man than ever before imagined—but also the turbulent times in which he rose, boldly, to meet unprecedented challenges. The last president to serve as a living link between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, Truman’s story spans the raw world of the Missouri frontier, World War I, the powerful Pendergast machine of Kansas City, the legendary Whistle-Stop Campaign of 1948, and the decisions to drop the atomic bomb, confront Stalin at Potsdam, send troops to Korea, and fire General MacArthur. Drawing on newly discovered archival material and extensive interviews with Truman’s own family, friends, and Washington colleagues, McCullough tells the deeply moving story of the seemingly ordinary “man from Missouri” who was perhaps the most courageous president in our history. Americas Politicians Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State State & Local United States Biography War Franklin D Roosevelt Military Korean War Suspenseful Imperialism Vietnam War Russia Leadership Socialism Roosevelt Family Winston Churchill Soviet Union Imperial Japan American History Self-Determination
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Extraordinarily detailed with great character sketches and a sympathetic understanding of Truman. The length allows the author to flesh out the historical personalities and convey the background which is so crucial to understanding this most grounded of presidents.

Detailed and Magisterial

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Truman was underrated during his life and he is underrated now. If we can find more leaders like him the world would be a significantly better place.

Everyone should read this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
really interesting time in history, with an everyday man making it somehow to President. a little too intricately detailed at times, but nicely written

interesting times, VERY detailed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a very long and detailed account of Harry S Trueman. It is a very good story, did not get bored. The audio book is good to listen to, the narration is excellent, yes it is 54 hours but well worth it.

Very long but very good

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Truman's Presidency was a period of American history I was unfamiliar with - the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean war - and McCullough's biography does full justice to the man, and the moments of a great president. Born a decade away from the Frontier, and dying in the atomic age in which he had had to make a momentous decision, Truman's life spanned an era. This biography is well paced, lively, informative, unsparing when it comes to Truman's perceived failings, generous in its appreciation of his skills and strengths as a human being.

What did you like best about this story?

Nelson Runger's narration is superb. His pace and vitality informs the book, and I appreciated the way that different players - Dean Acheson, Marshall, Roosevelt were given due weight. He didn't succumb (too much) to hamming up Churchill.

Any additional comments?

In short, highly recommended.

He Gave 'em Hell

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews