2024 the best man synopsis review

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With a Foreword by JAMES EARL JONES &
A Spcial Afterword by Irving Wallace's son, bestselling author DAVID WALLECHINSKY

The time is 1964. The place is the Cabinet Room of the White House. An unexpected accident and the law of succession have just made Douglass Dilman the first black President of the United States.

This is the theme of what was surely one of the most provocative novels of the 1960s. It takes the reader into the storm center of the presidency, where Dilman, until now an almost unknown senator, must bear the weight of three burdens: his office, his race, and his private life.

From beginning to end, The Man is a novel of swift and tremendous drama, as President Dilman attempts to uphold his oath in the face of international crises, domestic dissension, violence, scandal, and ferocious hostility. Push comes to shove in a breathtaking climax, played out in the full glare of publicity, when the Senate of the United States meets for the first time in one hundred years to impeach the President.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0051GZIQE
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crossroad Press; Gordian Knot First Digital edition (May 17, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 17, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1580 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 862 pages
Reviewer: Russell J. Sanders
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Timely and electric!
Review: In the 1960s, when I first discovered the works of writer Irving Wallace, I was thoroughly entranced. But I also felt that he was one of those best-selling novelists who could tell a good story but would never be among the great authors, the literary giants. Oh, how wrong I was. Flash to over fifty years later, and I have re-read two of his works, The Word and The Man. I found The Word to be a painstakingly researched, very topical novel even after having been written so long ago. But The Man? It is 739 pages of electricity, a tale that speaks to us today as powerfully as it spoke to its 1960s audience. Obviously, it is somewhat dated: women are referred to as girls, everyone smokes like chimneys in all the hallowed halls, including the White House, and the “n” word is spat out liberally, as well as many other racial epithets that are offensive today and should have been offensive back then. Fine literature, however, transcends the era in which it was written and speaks to its audience in any decade. The Man tells the story of an African American senator—a rarity in its time—who, because of a series of deaths and the laws of our nation, becomes President of the United States. And, of course, there are multitudes who don’t think he is capable of the task simply because of his skin color. We see those attitudes rearing their ugly heads daily, even though we are now in the 21st century, and the political machinations seem timely and believable, based on what we read in the news about our current American president. This is a novel that flies by, is totally engrossing, and beautifully constructed. Yes, by our current standards, some of the descriptions go on and on, but unlike those passages in The Word, where I admit I skimmed a bit, these all seem perfectly fashioned to build whatever the mood or tension is needed. The Man is magnificent, and it deserves two things: to be read by modern audiences and to be filmed by a dynamic filmmaker who can give it the treatment it deserves.

Reviewer: Experienced Shopper
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: excellent book
Review: Irving Wallace wrote this book before we elected the first black president in the US. It tells the story of what happens when the top individuals in line for the presidency due to the death of the president also lose their lives. The office of President is then officially handed over to a man that is fully capable of living up to the title of President. Unfortunately there are those elected officials that are reluctant to say the least when it comes to accepting this man because he is black. The book tells the story of how strongly opposed some of these government officials are to his appointment and try their best to do anything to have him impeached. Fortunately the man who is now President has the courage to hold is own. He eventually proves not only to the people in the US that are not in favor of him holding that position but also both our allies and enemies that he is a strong, moral, individual who will not give up even though at times he is tempted. The trials and tribulations he is put through are unforgivable but eventually his strength and capabilities become apparent and he proves that the title of President is a well deserved honor bestowed upon a man worthy of being in the oval office. Excellent book written before it's time.

Reviewer: Jerry Scott
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: How a male become a man.
Review: This is an interesting story about how a Black male becomes the President and then his transformation to a man. Just because a male becomes President of the United States does not mean he is a man.The setting of the story is in the 1960's before the Civil Rights Movement was fully recognized and effective. This Black male was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He voted the party line and supported the president over 90 percent of the time. His actions and congressional votes did not distinguish him from any other member of congress. Then suddenly he was the President, but did not consider himself to be the man. This story reveals how he does become a man.

Reviewer: Linda
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Almost Prophetic
Review: I was amazed at how a book published in the '60's could predict some of the issues facing a black president in the story are faced in reality by Obama today. It made me sad for the country but also made me proud of our country because there are so many strong, courageous people of character (though at times it seems not enough when I look at the current behavior of Congress which seems to be made up of rich people who couldn't understand how missing a paycheck will impact the average American and their families). While this book was published in 1966, it did not feel dated (other than I recognized the events as being of that time period). I found the book exciting, insightful, compassionate, and very hard to put down. I was sleep deprived when I finally finished because I usually read to get sleepy and found myself just not going back to bed.

Reviewer: Mark M
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Engaging
Review: This is a really fun, readable, political thriller. Kind of like "Advise & Consent". Like any book of its era that deals with racial issues, the language can seem a bit dated; and I'm too young to judge how realistic and typical the attitudes of characters would be. Still, this is a very original story, with lots of well-thought out twists, and it kept me interested from start to finish.

Reviewer: Tom
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: One of his best
Review: Delightful and interesting book about the first black President of the United States. Written over 40 years ago and yet true to life and describes SO much about modern day America and the continuing discrimination that is found in every day life. It's hard to believe that people are still not able to ignore the color of a person's skin, his sexual orientation or religious beliefs when meeting a new person. While we can see some progress, much remains to be done before we reach FULL equality in human rights. This book is an excellent primer on how these things MIGHT be dealt with. Should be required reading for all high school students.

Reviewer: Jimmy
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book is an incredibly thought-provoking read that effectively explores the complexities of race and politics in the United States during the 1960s. The premise is fascinating - an unexpected accident leads to the first black President of the United States - and the execution is equally exceptional.Wallace does an excellent job of navigating the various political and social challenges Dilman faces as he assumes the presidency. His character is complex and relatable, and readers will find themselves rooting for him as he works to overcome the many obstacles standing in his way.The writing itself is masterful, with Wallace's attention to detail and well-researched historical context bringing the story to life. It's an engaging and thought-provoking read that will leave readers pondering the themes long after they've finished the book.Overall, "The Man" is a must-read for anyone interested in political fiction or social commentary. It's a riveting story that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end, and a testament to the power of storytelling. Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Gianluca Carpiceci
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The book is definitely a son of its era; I read it in 2017 and did enjoy it, but trying to read into it possible predictions of our current era is just too much (this has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Obama and its presidency).Still, I found it a pretty interesting picture of the political and socio-cultural world of the US of the 60's; I think that, if you position the novel as a fruit of its times, you are naturally more inclined to be indulgent with what today might look like gross flaws (the style of its prose is desperately outdated: nothing is left to the reader's intuition, everything is explained in fastidious detail, every single personal reflection going on in the characters' mind, every single logical step of the plot, every dialogue is reported step by step....I must confess I skimmed through some pages here and there when the narration became too agonising for me). Beyond the stylistic issues, however, here what did strike more my attention:1. refreshing our memory about the level of black discrimination still present in one of the most convinced democracies of the western world only 30-40 years ago may be not a breaking news but it is still mind blowing2. the world depicted by Irving Wallace - even the supposedly complex one of the Washington politics - is a pretty simple one, straightforward and linear, a world where cause and effect are linked in a very clear and predictable fashion; people are also relatively simple, almost naive at times, even the evil characters seem just to be playing their role. Now, someone could say this is another issue of outdated style; maybe this is true, at least in part, butI believe this is also reflecting a reality which is so different from the complexity of the world of the xxi century

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellent reading a pity that the world is still crawling with all forms of racism real and just to make peers happy and fit in

Reviewer: Joe Mayo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book, written in 1964, could have been written in 2013. The first black President is sworn in after tragedy places him next in line, though he is 4th in line for succession. It is amazing that 50 years after the book was written we still have the same racial hatred and extreme politics in Congress, directed at frustrating the efforts of a black President. Read it and see how little has changed in America.

Reviewer: Dr. R. Veluri MD
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: One of the all time best books written in pro-Obama era. I like to see it made into a new movie.