World War II Database

The Midwest region of the United States, at least in stereotype, was known for humble and hard-working people. Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower, both political heavyweights in American politics during and after WW2, were both from this region. The Truman family moved to Independence, Missouri in 1890, and the Eisenhower family moved to Abilene, Kansas two years later. The two locations, in fact, was only about 160 miles from each other. They both grew up in lower middle class families. They both received public school educations. Once they each found their careers, both aligned themselves with the right people, and both reached the apparent pinnacle of their working lives when the American involvement in WW2 shattered the previous ceiling, sending them both on new trajectories. As they each entered the world stage, their paths crossed, starting a continuous game of political intrigue between the two that would last through the end of both of their careers.

In Two Americans, author William Lee Miller presented a double biography that compared and contrasted these two Midwest Americans. Personally, I found the first half of the book to fall short of my expectations. Truman and Eisenhower, political heavyweights, had been studied rather thoroughly by those who came before Miller, some of those prior works were quoted specifically by name by Miller, thus as I felt enter chapters passing by without offering any new information or insight. Additionally, the interweaving chapters, alternating between Truman and Eisenhower with the two never influencing one another in any way, were a little bit disorienting. The later chapters, relating to WW2 and post-WW2 eras, however, were markedly better. The presentation became much more cohesive as the decisions made of each of the two directly affected and influence the other. Miller's inclusion on the pettiness exhibited by both sides during and long after the transition of power was most appreciated, as this less lauded character trait was often ignored by both men's biographers. Finally, after my complaint about the lack of new information in the first half of the book, the latter chapters definitely taught me a lot on their philosophies on the nuclear arms race, on McCarthyism, and on the racial integration in the US military.

I had reviewed this title in its audio book format. Dick Hill added a bit more drama than what I usually preferred, but in general he did a fine job with clarity and pace. His voice, warm and genuine, seemed to be fitting for a book about two men from the Heartland of American, actually.

Two Americans, as noted, suffered from a lackluster first half, but I had rather enjoyed the final few chapters. Those who had already read dedicated biographies of Truman and Eisenhower might wish to quickly skim over the pre-WW2 sections of this book and dive directly into Miller's narration on the two men's working relationship later in the book. Even with that said, I would still recommend it as a complement to other biographies of the two ex-soldiers and ex-presidents.