The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

Readable

Espléndida descripción de los primeros meses de la presidencia de Truman, aunque yo habría deseado, a tenor del nombre del libro, una mayor extension sobre el resto de su presidencia, de la misma manera que dedica bastantes páginas a sus años previos a ña misma

The paper and print quality is so bad... Brown paper with such a light print that it's so hard to read. The print is also not at all clear. Regret buying. Returned immediately. These Indian editions are unfortunately made with such poor quality. How do these publishers get away with this?

I very much enjoyed the first four chapters regarding how Harry S Truman (HST) became the 33rd president of the United States. Some of this information author A. J. Baime reveals I had not been exposed to previously. Most especially the physicians intervention and interaction in Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)'s death at Warm Springs, Georgia. Very interesting minutes prior to his death, he was still smoking after a year before his physician told him to "distance himself from cigarettes." The book makes light of the Annals of Internal Medicine case report regarding FDR's medical history. Part two is the political education of HST. It is ripe with many interesting facts regarding his life from farmer to president of the USA. Especially interesting, is the 1944 Democratic Chicago Convention in which the Democratic National Committee (DNC) maneuvers to obtain HST on the ticket as vice president. Shades of 2024. Part three is the beginning of the four-month span of HST "baptism of fire" as the replacement of FDR after his passing. Here the reader obtains an eyewitness look into his demeaner and personality with his family and the surrounds. This period is the countdown to the July 1945 Potsdam Tripartite Meeting and the uncertainty of the atomic bomb effectiveness. Part four provides the reader with the ongoings to arrival at the "Big Three Potsdam Meeting" and views of HST during and while the waiting for the test results of the Trinity plutonium bomb test. Many do not realize this was really the testing of the Nagasaki weapon which material was obtained from the reactor in Hanford, Washington. To really appreciate the final part of the book the reader should view the recent film "Oppenheimer" to understand what is happening parallel to the Potsdam meeting. Here The Manhattan District Program is pushed to completion to provide HST with the information to negotiate the finality of the second world war. The book is very interesting and easy to read. However, the contrast of the paperback print can cause asthenopia over time. It is highly informative and sophisticated even for the historian. It is composed of five parts with thirty-eight chapters, an epilogue, B&W photos, notes, and a helpful index. Using personal letters, communiques, diaries, and newspaper articles the author has crafted a significant contribution to the historical record. All interested in this period should purchase this book.

Bought as a gift for later in the year. Should be well appreciated