American Dreamer: A Life of Henry A. Wallace
Author: John C. Culver, John Hyde
List Price: $18.95
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ISBN: 0393322289
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company (September, 2001)
Sales Rank: 260,562
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Mr. Smith goes to Wasington ... and wins
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.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Yes...but
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!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Facinating Account of the Man Who Was Almost President
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.
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