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Ascent to Power: How Truman Emerged from Roosevelt’s Shadow and Remade the World is David L. Roll’s history of Harry Truman’s rise from vice president to president in his own right. Penguin Random House describes the book as covering 1944–1948, a compressed period shaped by the end of World War II, postwar diplomacy, the atomic-bomb decision, civil-rights advocacy and Truman’s 1948 campaign.
What is Ascent to Power about?
Published by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, Roll’s book follows the presidential transition from Franklin D. Roosevelt’s final days through Truman’s effort to establish his own leadership by 1948. The publisher says Truman had been vice president for 82 days when Roosevelt died in April 1945 and Truman succeeded him. The book’s central arc, as the publisher presents it, is Truman’s emergence from Roosevelt’s shadow.
The account reaches beyond the transfer of office. Penguin Random House lists the end of the war in Europe, the founding of the United Nations, diplomacy involving Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, and the decision to use the atomic bomb among the major pressures of Truman’s first years as president. It also connects his civil-rights advocacy and 1948 campaign to the story of his developing leadership. These are the publisher’s descriptions of the book’s scope and framing.
Who is the book for?
It is aimed at readers interested in the 1944–1948 transition and how Truman moved from a vice-presidential selection associated with Roosevelt to a presidency with its own agenda and public identity. Readers looking for a focused account of the decisions and political tests highlighted in the publisher’s description may find its period-based framing especially useful.
#1 Best Overall
The available publisher material establishes the book’s subject and broad coverage, but does not provide enough detail to assess its treatment of every historical dispute or to characterize scholarly consensus. Readers seeking detailed arguments about causation, chronology or historiography should consult the book itself and relevant historical scholarship.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Publication details and editions
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Author | David L. Roll |
| Publisher | Dutton / Penguin Random House |
| Hardcover publication date | April 23, 2024 |
| Hardcover length | 544 pages |
| Hardcover ISBN | 9780593186442 |
| Formats listed by the publisher | Hardcover, ebook and audiobook |
For current availability or pricing, check the retailer or library you use; the publisher listing identifies formats but does not establish current outside stock or prices.
Quick Recap
Rank #2
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