“With a complete mastery of the sources, David Roll takes us on the gripping journey from Harry Truman’s election as vice-president in 1944 through to his death, rightly concentrating on the crucial years that ended in his stunning re-election as president in 1948. Roll has a fine sense of all the key figures around Truman, but it is his insights into the man himself that are so valuable. Well-researched, well-written and intensely readable, this book confirms Truman as a giant of American—indeed global—history.”—Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

“The sudden death of Franklin Roosevelt shook the world; the recognition that power would pass to Harry Truman shook it even more. But the untested Truman turned out to be just what America and the world needed as World War II segued into the Cold War. No one has told this vital story more thoroughly or with greater verve and insight than David Roll does in this fine book.”—H. W. Brands, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The General vs. the President

“After winning World War II, America rebuilt the world—including its enemies. How that happened is one of the great stories of any age. Equally remarkable is how Harry Truman, a modest man of the people, took over from the great FDR to achieve this miracle. The author of brilliant biographies of Harry Hopkins and George C. Marshall, lawyer-turned-historian David Roll brings a clear and sharp eye for evidence and a deep human understanding to telling this tale. As the global order Truman built teeters at the brink, Ascent to Power could not be more relevant.”—Evan Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Road to Surrender