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Merle Miller
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Plain speaking: an oral biography of harry s. truman Mass Market Paperback – December 1, 1986

by Merle Miller (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 222 ratings
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Excerpts from interviews with Truman and people who knew him well provide an ultimate record of his life and his influence on Washington politics
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  1. Print length
    480 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Berkley
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 1986
  5. Dimensions
    7 x 1 x 5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0425094995
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0425094990
  8. Lexile measure
    1080L
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (December 1, 1986)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425094995
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425094990
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1080L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 1 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 222 ratings

About the author

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Merle Miller

Merle Miller

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Merle Miller was born on May 17, 1919 in Montour, Iowa, and grew up in Marshalltown, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa and the London School of Economics. He joined the US. Army Air Corps during World War II, where he worked as an editor of Yank. His best-known books are his biographies of three presidents: Plain Speaking: An Oral History of Harry Truman, Lyndon: An Oral Biography, and Ike the Soldier: As They Knew Him. His novels include That Winter, The Sure Thing, Reunion, A Secret Understanding, A Gay and Melancholy Sound, What Happened, Island 49, and A Day in Late September. He also wrote We Dropped the A-Bomb, The Judges and the Judged, Only You, Dick Daring!, about his experiences writing a television pilot for CBS starring Barbara Stanwyck and Jackie Cooper, and On Being Different, an expansion of his 1971 article for the The New York Times Magazine entitled "What It Means to Be a Homosexual." He died in 1986. In 2012 two of Miller's book were reissued: A Gay and Melancholy Sound and On Being Different. Check out more information on www.onbeingdifferent.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
222 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the biography interesting and instructive. They appreciate the author's knowledge of history and important aspects of our country. Readers describe the book as a great, page-turning read that is inspirational.

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InsightReadability
21 customers mention "Insight"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, instructive, and impressive. They appreciate the knowledge of history and important aspects of our country. Readers also say the insights are timeless and relevant.

"...book, however, many of them now feel that HST was both a great man and a great president...." Read more

"...The book itself is fascinating, because there a certain similarities between our current president and Truman in their unvarnished way of speaking..." Read more

"...always thought highly of Truman as President, and this was an interesting story. We need more "plain-speaking" politicians...." Read more

"...Truman was honest and honorable to his last breath. Miller asks the right questions and Truman answers them, no bull, no evasion...." Read more

17 customers mention "Readability"17 positive0 negative

Customers find the book great, interesting, and inspirational. They say it's one of the best books about Harry Truman.

"A friend recommended this book to me and was it ever worth the read!..." Read more

"Great book. Although he was President over sixty hears ago...his common sense and views on the presidency still apply today...." Read more

"...Find out ! This book is a page turner." Read more

"Excellent book to read. It points out, again, that things really don't change all that much...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Rolland W. Amos
5.0 out of 5 stars HST was not a 4-eyed nerd!
Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2006
Verified Purchase
-Twenty reviews are not enough for this book! HST deserves more and better!

HST was fortunate in that history offered him many opportunities to prove his skills and his greatness. (Most historians now rank him among the top five). For example, not every president gets to be a 2-time wartime president, or to replace an FDR (the nation's only 3-time and 4-time president that most Americans truly loved (regardless of how the Neocons now portray him), or to make the many critical decisions that HST was compelled to make.

The book's table of contents pretty much summarizes the major problems that HST had to deal with during his long political career and his 2 terms (minus 3 months) as president: two times he had to fight hard as the underdog for his seat in the Senate and once, in 1948 - likewise, as the underdog against Dewey, he had to overcome great odds to win his presidential re-election fight. Many times he had to render major, often unpopular, decisions: for example, he endorsed the establishment of the new state of Israel; he ordered the dropping of A-bombs on Japan; he ordered the integration of the armed forces; he halted a steel strike that threatened the unbroken supply of war materials; he ordered the implementation of the post-war, multi-billion dollar economic recovery plan for Europe (called the Marshall Plan - but actually Truman's plan); he endorsed the creation of the U.N.; he endorsed the creation of NATO with U.S. participation; he ordered U.S. troops into Korea in 1950 to halt communist aggression; he `fired' the highly popular 5-star General MacArthur when the latter challenged the authority of the president; etc., etc.. HST said that hard decisions were easy for him; he simply did what he thought was right!

Many reviewers confess that prior to reading this book they had no sense of HST's presidency, or that he was significant or even great. After reading this book, however, many of them now feel that HST was both a great man and a great president. Is there any better example of what a little reading can do for a person's judgment - or, expressed another way, is there any better example of how 'ignorance can breed contempt' - or indifference?
9 people found this helpful
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betty s.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2024
Verified Purchase
Have just finished this book. I like the question answer in that we can see the personality and just plain common sense of this president. So refreshing a easy read, I very much appreciated history in a down home no nonsense manner.
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John R Upshaw
5.0 out of 5 stars Unvarnished Verbal Leadership
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
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I actually read this when it came out in the 70's, but recommended it to my father in law and then found the used hard bound through Amazon. The book itself is fascinating, because there a certain similarities between our current president and Truman in their unvarnished way of speaking their thoughts with humor, self-deprecation and a real affection for the common man - those who hate Trump - will resist the corollary, but it's there when you read through this very instructive discourse on the use of words by leaders and their power to shift the public agenda. Now Truman was always a 'gentleman' , which kind of skews the comparison; but those were different times, times when the press respected the oath of reporters. Just the facts, your opinion, your spin, your political agenda, is to be struggled against. The public needs to decide for itself, not fed bias from a pimp republic of varnished TV 'journalists' who allow their thin egotism to get angry, and allow their emotions to discolor what should be a verbal photograph.

But, this is a thinking person's book, in an era where thinking has been replaced by the shallow "gotcha" foto op, out of context, a blurry, post edification journalism.
9 people found this helpful
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Ann Werner
5.0 out of 5 stars If you can get a copy of this one, grab it.
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2014
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A friend recommended this book to me and was it ever worth the read! Even though the events recorded here took place decades ago, parts of it could have been written today. Harry Truman was the last truly great president - a man who never bowed to hysteria, who lived up to his slogan "The buck stops here" and a man who saw things clearly. He made statements that proved to be true in the future, one of them being that Richard Nixon was a liar and never knew the difference between the truth and a lie. That statement was made well before Watergate. It's a shame this book is only available in older copies, as it is now out of print. Perhaps some enterprising person might contact the author's family and request permission to reproduce it in a eBook so generations to come will have the benefit of getting to know a man who stood for principle and not politics.
7 people found this helpful
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Norman Beavers
4.0 out of 5 stars President Truman was president when I enlisted in 1951... but I still think of him as a very good President!
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018
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I've always thought highly of Truman as President, and this was an interesting story. We need more "plain-speaking" politicians. Well, maybe not as plain-speaking as Trump, but he's trying to do the right things - just like Harry!
Norm
One person found this helpful
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D. A. Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from a great and humble man what a president should be.
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2017
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This a great read because it's about a great man. Truman was honest and honorable to his last breath. Miller asks the right questions and Truman answers them, no bull, no evasion. After you read this book, you will know how far our country has fallen from what it once was. I think it's fair to say that Truman was the last president who had the welfare of the country in his mind and in his heart.

The last few presidents can't hold a candle to Truman, and that's the really sickening lesson I learned from this book. Just go order the book. Every time Truman opens his mouth, you'll just be amazed at his integrity and be rejuvenated by it. Seriously, just reading this book will make you a better person.
5 people found this helpful
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Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars Many common sense approaches to even today's issues
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2017
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Great book. Although he was President over sixty hears ago...his common sense and views on the presidency still apply today. A suggested read for those looking for answers to today's issues. The chapter on the Truman Committee is good especially in light of the continuing wasteful spending by the Pentagon and Chp 38 on the Cause and Cure of Hysteria is appropriate reading in this time of a surveillance state. And the last four pages where he discussed not using the presidency for his private gain exhibits an upright behavior which is certainly not followed by most politicians in the U.S. today who are just greedy bastards.
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Top reviews from other countries

David M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Compare with Trump
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2019
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I read this book many years ago, but given the state of American politics, decided to read it again. It is old fashioned in many ways but it shows how much politics has deteriorated - not just in America.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I did not enjoy the style of the book
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2016
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We would all do well to review a bit of Harry Truman in 2016. I did not enjoy the style of the book , almost a long interview, but the content was terrific and the message refreshing.
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Bargain, paid very little for it
Reviewed in Canada on December 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book was the result of multiple interviews of Truman during his retirement.

A trendously well read, self taught intellectual with a keen appreciation of history.

A man who spoke his mind, but thought about it first.

I could not help but think what his assessment of the current President elect would be.
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