A.J. Baime

The Accidental President is a well-written account of President Harry S Truman’s first four months in office, spanning the period between FDR’s death and the end of WWII. Even with a seasoned president at the helm this would have been a critical time in US and world history which is why a reluctant VP stepping up to make some of the most crucial decisions in history is fascinating to read about. It’s rare to find an author who can explain historical events and timelines this clearly show more and also describe historical figures so well they come across as convincingly real human beings. Easily 5 stars. show less

I was in tears. After thirty years of working to end lynching and system racism, battling white supremacy, Walter F. White finally reached a president who had the courage to change Federal laws. President Truman, having become president upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was facing his first election. He knew he would alienate Southern Democrats by his actions. Truman was from segregated Kansas. But he was angry by the stories White told him about US soldiers returning from show more the battlefields to endure beatings and lynching. White talked about a soldier who was beaten and blinded because he asked a bus to stop for him to use a bathroom. “I had no idea it was as terrible as that!” the president remarked,” We’ve got to do something!” Truman’s Executive Orders created “fair employment practices” ending discrimination in the federal government. Then, he desegregated the US military. As A. J. Baime writes, “With those words, the modern civil rights movement began.” And I broke down and cried.

Walter F. White had infiltrated the South to report on lynchings and misjustice for over thirty years, even bringing cases to court. But, in the South the local KKK controlled everything–and everyone. White supremacy was a goal tightly held by Southern whites. Failing to bring justice through the local courts, White looked to the Federal government’s responsibility to protect the rights of all Americans. FDR didn’t have the political will, even if Eleanor did, even serving on the NAACP board.

White was able to insinuate himself into the Southern towns because he ‘passed’ for white with his blonde hair and blue eyes. His parents were born in slavery, his grandmother’s children may have been her master’s children. White grew up in a black neighborhood and attended black schools. He could have passed into white society. But as a child he experienced a race riot, the white citizens of his hometown threatening to burn down his family home. He choose to be black. And he made it his life’s work to defend his people.

I grew up in a bubble. My first knowledge of race came in Brownies when we were given a pamphlet about bunnys of different colors learning to get along and be friends. And then one day a woman came to the door, her son behind her, her daughter pushed forward into the meeting room. They were African American. I don’t remember any one being mean or saying anything wrong. I was intrigued, but shy. The girl only came a few times. I was sorry. And I have wondered about it for sixty years. It was years before a teacher in high school taught me about Civil Rights and I began to understand. I took note of what I saw when Dad drove us through Detroit. When the 1967 rebellion broke, my dad drove home early from Highland Park while Mom argued with prejudiced neighbors. My college had seven black students. My husband’s seminary had black students from the South and, as bookstore manager, I earned their trust. A white Southerner asked if I was afraid when they were in the store. I didn’t understand why I would be. I worked in an all black office for Upward Bound. One of the college tutors took me to a black bar for lunch. I had African American friends at work.

And I was still in a bubble.

I read books and keep learning. Every time I read about White investigating another lynching, it was another punch to the gut. I still don’t understand how any human being could do such acts.

What have come to understand with each book, like this one, is how deep racism is in our country, how it impacts our politics and society yet. It weighs me down. Can we be redeemed?

White was not a perfect man. His work came first, his family neglected. He divorced his long suffering wife and married the woman he had long been in love with, a white woman, alienating many blacks. He became a forgotten man, and by the time of his early death Thurgood Marshall and Martin Luther King Jr. were new leaders. White Lies is a moving, horrific, narrative, restoring White to his proper place as a remarkable, courageous leader.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. show less

White Lies: The Double Life of Walter F White and America's Darkest Secret by AJ Baime is a well-researched and engaging biography that will inform, entertain, and also infuriate readers. To be sure, the anger (coupled with sadness) is not directed at the book but at what passed (and still passes) for American social justice.

What recollection I had of White was mostly in relation to his place in the Harlem Renaissance. I seem to recall also knowing he had been a journalist but I thought of show more him as with the NAACP and as a major contributor to the literary historical moment. This book not only showed me more of a well-rounded story but also one that included many chances taken.

There is a strong tendency when reading accounts from early to mid-20th century to pat ourselves on the back at how far we have come. Yet if we look closely at what is accomplished by the blatant actions of that time and the more subtle (mostly) actions of our time, we realize we haven't come nearly as far as we think. The modes of oppression are better hidden, but the final goals are still the same. Have there been improvements? Absolutely. Anywhere near what would be a very basic baseline of equality? No, most emphatically no.

The biography itself, as a biography, is excellent. The reader is able to follow along and, for the most part, understand both White and the historical moment. I think where this book moves beyond being simply a biography is the, for lack of a better term, behind the scenes look at many of the social, cultural, and political issues of the day. You become invested in both White the person and the United States as an as yet unfulfilled promise.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

In continuing my studies of World War II in conjunction with my presidential biographies, this book was extremely informative not only about how FDR worked to create the American war armaments industry but also how the manufacturing companies accepted the assignments that they were tasked to provided during the war.

Even though the American public was aware of the conflict in Europe, it wasn't until the attack on Pearl Harbor they the American people realized how the war was going to impact show more them as well. Even though FDR made efforts to transition the automotive industry to assist with military supplies, there were companies that were reluctant to get involved.

The main focus of this book was on the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford was very unwilling to change anything at his plants. As an isolationist along with his friend Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford felt that the US should stay out of Europe's problems. Lindbergh and Ford both received golden Nazi medals from Hitler for their stance. Fortunately, for the war effort, Henry Ford's son, Edsel, was in charge of the plants and he accepted the task of changing the assembly lines from to autos to planes. His vision of completing the construction of one B24 bomber every hour took over his life and he battled constantly with his father about it. Without Ford and other companies, the results of World War II may have been very different. FDR wanted the auto industry to provide 80% of the tanks, 33% of machine guns, 100% of cars and trucks.

What fascinated me most was the volume that the "Arsenal of Democracy" (FDR's term) produced by companies you wouldn't relate with making a particular item.

Kleenex Tissue company built .50 caliber machine gun mounts
An orange squeezer maker produced bullet molds
A casket builder made airplane parts. A pinball-machine maker created Armor piercing shells
GM made aircraft engines and Wildcat fighter planes.
Packard manufactured marine and aviation engines.
Dodge was responsible for gyrocompasses, shortwave radar sets, and ambulances
Chrysler made field kitchens, and .50 caliber machine guns,
Studebaker made troop transporters
Cadillac built tanks and howitzer cannons
Chevrolet fashioned 75 MM high explosive shells
Oldsmobile made cannon shells

But the biggest contribution came from Ford who not only erected an entirely new plant at Willow Run that was more than seven million square feet of floor space but one that was large enough to assemble a B24 bomber within it. The bomber was 66' long, 18' tall, and had 110' wingspan. They assembled 6,972 B24 in 3 years averaging 200 bombers a month.

The book was well-written and even though the topic wasn't the cheeriest, it moved along well and kept your attention.

TREMENDOUS EFFORTS OF THE GREATEST GENERATION reflected in a great book. show less