Customer Reviews

American Dreamer: A Life of Henry A. Wallace

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This exceptionally well done biography of Henry Wallace tells the story of an unusual man who nearly became president of the US. As Vice-president during FDR's third term, Wallace could easily have become president as Roosevelt's health steadily worsened. Back-room dealings at the Democratic convention in '44, were all that prevented Wallace being VP during FDR's final term.

Wallace was a brilliant complex man. Early in his life he developed and promoted hybrid corn that improved the productivity of American (and subsequently world) farmers. He was the real drivers of the recovery of American agriculture during the Depression. Wallace made difficult, often unpopular choices, that had the long term effect of improving the country's agrarian strength.

As a politician he was simultaneously naive and crafty. His ability to move controversial New Deal legislation through Congress showed how skilled he could be. His run as a third party candidate for president in 52 demonstrated both his naivte and vanity (a quality he developed late in his life).

My only quibble with this book is that it tells very little about what happened to Wallace following his quixotic presidential run. While the remaining 17 years of his life were hardly as eventful as what came before, it certainly merited greater coverage. Don't let this small matter detract from reading this otherwise excellent biography.

After reading this biography, one reaches two conclusions: 1) it's probably best that Wallace never became president; as an idealist, he was too often unable to settle for the "good" instead of his view of the "perfect;" 2) despite his flaws, Wallace's brilliance and dedication make him seem much greater than anyone on the current political scene regardless of party.

This book does an excellent job of telling of a an amazing life. Henry Wallace was born in a farm house near Orient, Adair County, Iowa, without benefit of doctor or midwife. He went on to a life extremely beneficial to the American farmer, especially the corn farmer. When he was picked to become FDR's Secretary of Agriculture, many American farmers were encouraged, and he went on to be the greatest Agriculture Secretary ever. His career became much more controversial when he became Vice-President. This book's account of the 1940 and 1944 Democratic Conventions is extremely informative, and no one who lived through those times, or who has an interest in those momentous events, will fail to be appreciative of the good work the authors of this book have done in telling the story of those amazing political events. The account of Wallace's aberational seeking of the Presidency in 1948 is full of interest, and one is relieved that by 1950 Wallace's political insight was restored. This is a great book to read, full of insight into a complicated but amazing man.

I enjoyed this detailed account of the life of Henry Wallace. The book does read like a work by David McCullough, but is enhanced by a deep understanding of the culture of Washington. The book gives valuable insights into the practical political forces that shaped the New Deal and the beginning of the Cold War.

The underlying premise of this book as that an idealistic dreamer can make a huge difference in the creating and shaping policy in the United States. The co-author of this work is a former Senator from Iowa named John C. Culver. He served one-term in the 1970's. Through Henry Wallace, the authors mount a formidable defense of the ideals of American liberalism.

I enjoyed this book as a well-written biography and a tale of Americana and issues still relevant. I was amazed, though in re-reading McCullough's Truman, following reading Culver and Hude's
Wallace, how much they had simply picked up and reprinted from McCullough. Most of the Democratic convention in Chicago of 1944 is right out of the Truman biography - not that there was a great deal more to report, but word choices and whole phrases seem cribbed. Too bad, for most of the rest of the Wallace book is highly original and worth reading. Wallace is by now (2002) largely forgotten; too bad. He had a lot to offer and his life is both encouraing and is a cautionary tale. Let's just thank our lucky stars Harry Truman came along at the right time - Wallce as President would have been an idealist in a shark tank
and it would have been a disaster!

I enjoyed this book as a well-written biography and a tale of Americana and issues still relevant. I was amazed, though in re-reading McCullough's Truman, following reading Culver and Hude's
Wallace, how much they had simply picked up and reprinted from McCullough. Most of the Democratic convention in Chicago of 1944 is right out of the Truman biography - not that there was a great deal more to report, but word choices and whole phrases seem cribbed. Too bad, for most of the rest of the Wallace book is highly original and worth reading. Wallace is by now (2002) largely forgotten; too bad. He had a lot to offer and his life is both encouraing and is a cautionary tale. Let's just thank our lucky stars Harry Truman came along at the right time - Wallce as President would have been an idealist in a shark tank
and it would have been a disaster!

Henry A Wallace was surely one of the most fascinating men in American Politics in 20th Century--even tho he was, in a sense, only half-in politics. He was too naive and too much in sympathy with the poor of his own world and with the aspirations of other people to fit the American mainstream---FDR managed to achieve a lot of what Wallace dreamed of by being more politically astute.

There are many lessons to be learned from the one-of-a-kind individual Henry A. Wallace. Because of his varied interests, people of all walks of life can find aspects of his life and personality they can relate to. This book provides insight into one of the driving forces behind modern agricultural, economic, political and social thought.

Doesn't anyone here know how pathetically naive this man was? I mean, he wanted to pursue a policy of appeasement with mass-murderer Joseph Stalin - much as Neville Chamberlain had done not a decade earlier with Hitler. Thank God Roosevelt had the sense to remove him from the Vice Presidency; a very scary situation indeed was thus avoided.

Don't waste your time - the man, however "idealistic" (meaning he didn't listen to anyone else), is a historical nonentity.