1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year That Transformed America
Written by David Pietrusza
Narrated by Jeff Cummings
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
The wild, combative inside story of the most stunning upset in the history of presidential elections: Harry Truman's 1948 victory over Tom Dewey.
"Outstanding. . . . by far the best yet about the fateful [1948] election." ―Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"Coherent, compelling. . . . A skillful, authoritative investigation." ―Kirkus Reviews
Award-winning historian David Pietrusza unpacks the most ingloriously iconic headline in the history of presidential elections―DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN―to reveal the 1948 campaign's backstage events and recount the down-to-the-wire brawl fought against the background of an erupting Cold War, the Berlin Airlift, the birth of Israel, and a post-war America facing exploding storms over civil rights and domestic communism.
"A terrific book. . . . a must-read." ―Ron Faucheux, former editor-in-chief, Campaigns & Elections magazine
"David Pietrusza brilliantly portrays President Harry Truman's successful efforts to stave off the challenge of New York Gov. Tom Dewey, who was making a repeat bid as the Republican nominee." ―David Mark, journalist, political analyst, and author of Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning
"Sweeping . . . compelling." ―Library Journal
David Pietrusza
David Pietrusza’s books include 1920: The Year of Six Presidents; Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series; 1948: Harry Truman's Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America's Role in the World; 1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon: The Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies; and 1932: The Rise of Hitler and FDR―Two Tales of Politics, Betrayal, and Unlikely Destiny. Rothstein was a finalist for an Edgar Award in the Best Fact Crime category, and 1920 was honored by Kirkus Reviews as among their "Books of the Year." Pietrusza has appeared on Good Morning America, Morning Joe, The Voice of America, The History Channel, ESPN, NPR, AMC, and C-SPAN. He has spoken at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, the Harry S Truman library and Museum, and various universities and festivals. He lives in Scotia, New York. Visit davidpietrusza.com.
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Reviews for 1948
18 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great insight into the 1948 election, a collection of stories and personalities that make a fun story of this presidential election
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is an outstanding book that will undoubtedly add to your knowledge of American history.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I read this author's book on the 1960 election on 25 Nov 2008 and enjoyed it so much that when I saw he had a book on the 1948 election I knew I had to read it. It is almost as enjoyable as the book on the 1960 election, and I enjoyed it a lot more than I enjoyed living the political year 1948, since during most of that year I looked forward to the November election with fearful gloom. As I read this book I knew that no matter how desperate things looked November would be a giddily great time. I think the author pays a bit more attention to the Wallace candidacy than necessary, but I have no other complaint about what he covers in the book. There are a few minor errors I noted: On page 90 he says Harold Stassen was the youngest govenor ever, but he is wrong--there was a Governor of Michigan, Stevens T. Mason, who was elected when 24 and re-elected when 26, and California's J. Neely Johnson was elected governor in 1855 when he was 30. Stassen was 31 when elected governor of Minnesota in 1938. (the fourth youngest governor ever was Bill Clinton--32 when elected governor in 1978.) And on page 220 the author says the Barkley-Chandler primary contest was in 1936 but it was, as even I remebered, in 1938. And on page 247 he refers to Seantor Chad Gurney but he should have known it was Senator Chan Gurney he meant. I suppose the book is not as elegantly written as some political histories but it was sure great reading of that amazing year.