In 1953, the year after he left the Presidency, Harry Truman and his wife Bess departed from their home in Independence, Missouri. They were setting off in their Chrysler New Yorker on a nineteen day road trip that would take them to New York City and back. They did so unaccompanied by Secret Service protection or any type of entourage. Along the way, they stopped to visit old friends, returned to Washington DC, and upon reaching the Big Apple took in a Broadway play to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Between 2006 and 2008, public radio reporter Matthew Algeo retraced their journey, stopping at the same places the couple had visited along the way. Truman had hoped to travel incognito, but his face was so recognizable that wherever they stopped, crowds and press soon gathered. Algeo’s entertaining account details how Truman’s plan went awry, while bringing to life the sights and people they encountered along the way. Following in their footsteps more than fifty years later, he also contrasts the changes that have occurred since.

This book does a marvelous job of capturing Harry Truman’s personality. It shows a man who felt comfortable interacting with people no matter their station in life. After all, when he left the Presidency, he had no large bank account to fall back on. Nonetheless, his zest for life remained undimmed, as did his honesty when dealing with the world in general. Despite its rather silly title, this book takes the reader on a road trip they will remember fondly. Harry and Bess make for wonderful traveling companions. ( )

Eloise recommends.

Enjoyable account of a road trip Harry & Bess Truman took 6 months after Truman left office, from Missouri to Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. The author hangs a lot of fun stories on the thin skeleton and paints a vivid picture of the Trumans. Slight, but fun, and shows how many ways the country has changed in these nearly 60 years. ( )

Very interesting story of Harry Truman's post-presidential trip from Independence, Missouri to Philadelphia, PA to give a speech. Many stops along the way, including Washington, D.C. before Philly and NYC afterwards. A portrait of a much healthier political climate. ( )

Enjoyable road trip book along the line of the "einstein's brain" book. Mixes history with personal experience for a glimpse as what it might have been like to be President, and then, not be, anymore. Lot of fun ( )