Customer Reviews

Man

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Should be edited further, but a gripping tale of power, and the paradoxical stupidity and grandness of human nature. A book that will ensure we try to judge people by the content of their character and not the colour of their skin.

When i first read Man, i had a burning desire to read it again and again. each of the characters evoke such strong feelings (both positive and negative) and yet do not seem hypothetical. i was moved by the editorial (on the occassion of the President's swearing in) wherein it cautions the citizens of usa that the new president is not under test but the nation is.

Douglas Dilman's constant anxieties about his ability to function as an effective president considering his racial background forms the central theme of the book. His impeachment trial and his subsequent vindication has all the ingredients of a thriller but still does not waver from the subtle portrayal of the different players of the game.

Dilman in his trial appearance counters a query on prejudices mentions that one can have positive prejudices like prejudice against racism. This created a paradigm shift in those of us who consider prejudice as a dirty word and would like to avoid it all costs.

an unputdownable book by any standards

So a book about the first black president. Well yes, but did you read Advice & Consent, a book about "the confirmation of a presidental appointment". The Man is very well written and gives us not only a story about the first black president, but an engaging look at what a "person on the outside" is like - his hopes (he is proud to be "An American"), his fears (don't shut the door if you are alone with a white woman), and how he copes (very well, but he doesn't know it). If you like "political stories", "intrigue stories", "Oh God, are there really people like this stories", or almost any other kind of story, READ IT. Of course I'm biased, I really liked it (the first six time I read it)! DeWayne White [DeWayneWhi@aol.com] PS: The reason for the review is I finally found another copy [I'd given away all I had], and I'm reading it for the seventh time.

A novel of the highest integrity. Thoroughly enjoyed and hard to put down. Some of the narratives i.e speeches given by particular characters are brilliant and inspired. It is probably one the few novels I have read that I think deserve "10" . Interesting too that the novel was written in '65.

There is very little one can say about the pure power and audacity of this book. Written 42 years ago, it is truly amazing to look at the tableau of politics of the sixties without seeing both the stark contrast and the scary similarities of today's world. A must read for serious political fiction readers.

"The Man" is a story written by Irving Wallace about the first Black President of the United States and how he got the job. Wallace's story is educational and intriguing - one any civil rights advocate should read because, one day, it just might happen

I picked this book up at Coldfoot Alaska, on a motorcycle trip to the northern end of the Alaska Pipeline, and was riveted by the book.

Despite being 887 pages long, and the fact that the "crisis" is long-telegraphed, the book is almost always a page-turner. In one sense, it takes us back to 1964, when a black president of the US would have been unwelcome by many.

Yet, the book presages the resignation of Nixon -- discussing when a President should resign -- and the impeachment of Clinton, who, like the fictional Dilman, was in large part accused of sexual misconduct.

Wallace deftly explores politics, personalities, ethics, and race relations in a divided nation.

Wow! This is an amazing book! This is #5 on the bestseller list for the year I was born, 1964. I was NOT let down when I read this. Irving Wallace is a tremendous writer. I have never been so upset though about racial prejudice though.

This book is about a man, "the man," who becomes President quite by accident. I like how the focus is the President who is just happens to be an African American, instead of an African American being the President. Personally, I think it really doesn't matter the color of the skin for our political office. It is the man inside that counts! The character of Doug Dillman was wonderful. It shows he is human and is not afraid of showing true emotion.

I think this book should be a requirement for our kids to read in our educational system. It is a wonderful read and NOT boring at all! I could barely set it down! Wonderfully gripping and very well written.

This is one of the first books I was entranced by once I started reading novels. It truly launched my joy and discovery of reading fiction.

The Man, written in 1964, is a story about a black man becoming united states president by line of succession. The vice presidency was vacant because of the incumbent's death. Then a freak accident kills the president and speaker of the house, catapulting the president pro tempore of the senate, a young black senator, into the unenviable role of the first black president of the united states.

Its been years since I read this book, but so great was its influence on me and so powerful its truth, that it changed my view of reading forever by broadening the genre of what I read as well as how I read. I have the great author of this book, Irving Wallace, to thank for writing a book that appealed to a young man who only saw value in reading instructional or historical related books. Mr. Wallace introduced me to the meaning of the infamous quote by Jessamyn West; "Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures."


I write this review many years later because of today's opposition toward and attacks on the integrity of president barack obama, the realworld first black president of the united states. I recommend this book to all citizens of the united states to read in this year, 2011. Hopefully, yesterday's fiction can reveal obscured truths about the reality of race today.

Dated in language and some of the plot, but a well-told story, which kept me interested enough to finish the book. The subject of this tale becomes president in unlikely circumstances, although these days you never know: it could happen. Anyway, Douglass Dilman is modest, humble and not at all sure that he can do the job. If for no other reason, there are plenty of people who think that because of his race, he will be easy to manipulate, leaving other cabinet members to have their way with the country's affairs. Amazing to read this book and think how much the culture has changed in some ways, while remaining much the same in others. Long, but I never felt like I was plodding through it.