Why people recommend it
Plain Speaking is a biographical oral history capturing the life and unfiltered voice of American president Harry S. Truman through conversations with journalist Merle Miller. The book gained praise from author Ryan Holiday, who featured it on episodes of The Daily Stoic podcast. In September 2025, Holiday spoke with Doris Kearns Goodwin and highlighted the work as one of his favorite presidential biographies, noting a memorable passage in the book where Truman discusses the ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Months prior, in June 2025, Holiday also recommended the oral history to guest Vanessa Van Edwards while discussing charismatic figures. He emphasized to listeners that it is the definitive Truman book that everyone should read, praising its unique structure and the profound insights it offers into the character and mindset of the 33rd president through his own candid remarks.
Who recommended it
- Ryan Holiday Recommended
Ryan Holiday — 2 mentions
“Well, one of my favorite presidential biographies I'm i'm using that term loosely is Merl Miller plain speaking. I love it. And and and one of the things that I love about that is there's a scene in it where uh he starts talking about Marcus Aurelius uh Truman does”
“So, well, we'll go talk about books, but the best Truman book, the one you need to read, is it's called Plain Speaking, and it's an it's an oral history of Truman”