Book Description
At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth.
The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron.
After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever.
Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived.
From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, here is Candice Millard’s dazzling debut.
Customer Reviews:
INCREDIBLE READ!!!!.......2007-10-21
What an incredible book, this is one from the moment I started reading I could not put down. BUY THE BOOK you will love it!!!
What an Adventure.......2007-10-18
What a great book. It is amazing to me that in the face of all the danger and near death experiences, these men continued to behave in the most civilized manor. Very inspiring for me.
river of doubt.......2007-10-06
This book was great, if you like adventure, exploration, or teddy roosevelt this is the book for you.
not boaring at all this book is awsome
A Gripping Tale of Men of Character.......2007-09-21
Oh, for a President who had even one tenth of the character and integrity of the Teddy Roosevelt portrayed in this book. This is a real-life version of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but the central figure never loses his sense of dedication and honor. Although there is plenty of suspense, even horror, in the story, I found it to be ultimately quite inspiring.
Awesome.......2007-09-20
This book went into so much detail about TR's expedition in Brazil that is hardly mentioned in other books on his life. And what a story it is! I heartily recommend it to anyone.
Average customer rating:
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American Ideals and Other Essays Social and Political
Theodore Roosevelt
Manufacturer: Library Reprints
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0722242999 |
Book Description
Few names are more widely known than that of Theodore Roosevelt, so that in one sense any introduction is superfluous. But in this sense he is known chiefly as the "Rough Rider" of the Santiago campaign; whereas those who read this book will see that his experience as a volunteer officer in the war with Spain is only one incident in a life which has been singularly varied in thought and accomplishment and useful in many fields. In 1900 when American Ideals was originally published, Theodore Roosevelt was the governor of New York.
During the three years from 1894 to 1897 he wrote the greater part of the essays on political subjects which are printed in the volume of American Ideals. Here you will find his theory of politics, based on honesty, courage, never-ending hard work, and fair play; and coupled with these a certain measure of expediency which without sacrificing principle strives to get things done, and to accept the second best if what he considers the first best is not attainable; realizing that in a government of universal suffrage many minds must be consulted and a majority of them brought to the same conclusion before anything can be accomplished.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was the 26th President of the United States (1901-1909). A Hero of the Spanish-American War, he served as governor of New York (1899-1900) and U.S. Vice President (September 1901) under William McKinley. In addition to holding the elective offices he was also a deputy sheriff in the Dakota Territory, Police Commissioner of New York City, U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, and Colonel of the Rough Riders, all by the age of 42, at which time he became the youngest man ever to hold the office of President. In 1906 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for this mediation in the Russo-Japanese War.
Book Description
Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic,"
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time. The publication of
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.
Customer Reviews:
Bought as a gift for my dad - he says it was terrific.......2007-10-07
My dad said this was the best book on CD he has listened too. He is a Roosevelt fan and really enjoyed the book.
Roosevelt was pure "Do"........2007-08-14
The opening chapter is the most intriguing which speaks of President Roosevelt on New Year's Day and how we was able to shake hands on an average of 50 grips a minute. From the prologue of the book, the reader understands that one is reading about a man whose intelligence and strength is extraordinary in the truest sense. From this point as President in 1907, Edmund Morris retraces Roosevelt's history, beginning with his parents. As the young Roosevelt matures one senses the insatiable desire for knowledge and the unbounded determination to overcome all obstacles from childhood to adulthood. From his love of natural sciences as a boy to his rise in politics and to the Presidency, Roosevelt's life was marked with challenges, conflicts, and accomplishments. For example, most know of Roosevelt's sickliness and frequent asthma attacks. The book records how his father would ride the coach at high speeds in order to force lungs into Young Teddy's lungs. Some years later when his father approaches Theodore and gives him the decision to develop his body to match his mental prowess, Young Teddy replied with a grin that he would make his body, which he did. This account has many such moments of Roosevelt's life, and the reader is almost dumbfounded when considering the character and charisma of this man, and how it led him to the Presidency.
The book occasionally slows when describing the low points of Roosevelt's life and loses its force as Theodore's own life did when he lost his wife and mother on the same day. It was at this time that Roosevelt went to the American West to recover from this tragic event, and which he fell in love with. He later returned to the world of politics with energy and determination that marked him as a man and a near un-paralleled leader.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is an incredible biography of an incredible man who was truly a giant amongst those of his age.
Outstanding!.......2007-08-09
One of the best biographies around.... no wonder it comes so highly recommended! If you want an engaging biography, well written about an unforgettable character who made a big difference in the world, this is the book for you.....
Easy to See Why it Won the Pulitzer Prize.......2007-06-05
This book won the pulitzer prize, and I can see why. I am actually reading this series backwards. I read the Theodore Rex book awhile back, and did not realize there was another book in the series when I did. So I went back and bought this book.
This book is very well written and provides the right amount of detail into the early life (before the presidency) of Teddy Roosevelt. What a life he led before he became president. The author had done a fine job of sorting through the records and correspondence that was available to him, it appears that alot of it was destroyed after Roosevelts first wife died.
If you want to learn more about Theodore Roosevelt, I would highly recommend you read this book along with the "sequel" called Theodore Rex, which details the presidential years.
The good, the bad and the Ugly of TR.......2007-05-25
Morris book takes a look at the early life of Theodore Roosevelt including his time with the rough riders. The first 350 pages of this book are boring. They categorize his early years at Harvard which seem very random and his courtship of his wife. It tracks his hopes and dreams and his time out west. TR is a random president who does not plan things out always and this book does reflect that. It is so random however that it is very difficult to see the significance of events that are included in those first 350 pages. What is done very well however, is the time with the rough riders, his reform days on the NYPD as president of the commission, and his time with the Navy. Here we see the TR that most of us envision. One of the things that Morris does very well is capture the spirit of the Gilded Age and the battle for Civil Service Reform. As a person who studies the Gilded Age he missed several key points but on the whole did a good job of capturing the spirit of the battle. TR was one of the reformers who made headlines thanks to the help of Jacob Riis and this partnership would have been nice to have explained further. The governorship and time back from the rough riders show TR as he is going to be. He is a scheming politician with a reformist attitude. While he awaits McKinley's decision on the VP he does some good in New York State when he can work with the legislature. The every end of the book comes about after the nomination to VP and McKinley's assignation. This is a very hard book to rate. The first 350 pages were among some of the worst I have ever read however the next 400 were very good and prize worthy. As such I will leave it at three stars but there could have been a lot more explained within this book.
Book Description
Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as "a masterpiece" (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and almost fatal asthma attacks, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household in which he was raised.
The father is the first Theodore Roosevelt, a figure of unbounded energy, enormously attractive and selfless, a god in the eyes of his small, frail namesake. The mother, Mittie Bulloch Roosevelt, is a Southerner and a celebrated beauty, but also considerably more, which the book makes clear as never before. There are sisters Anna and Corinne, brother Elliott (who becomes the father of Eleanor Roosevelt), and the lovely, tragic Alice Lee, TR's first love. All are brought to life to make "a beautifully told story, filled with fresh detail", wrote The New York Times Book Review.
A book to be read on many levels, it is at once an enthralling story, a brilliant social history and a work of important scholarship which does away with several old myths and breaks entirely new ground. It is a book about life intensely lived, about family love and loyalty, about grief and courage, about "blessed" mornings on horseback beneath the wide blue skies of the Badlands.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting biography of not just TR, but his family as well.......2007-10-19
David McCullough once again really had me enjoying reading about someone I have never been particularly interested in. This telling of TR's life story is different from most in that the story ends before he makes a big name in politics. TR would not have been the leader he was without the family that raised him and this is the focus of McCullough's book. We learn of his parents, his siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins. We learn of his home-schooling, the family vacations, his severe childhood asthma (I learned a lot about asthma from this book), and his love of nature and natural history (though his habit of nonchalantly shooting every creature in sight, particular birds, and stuffing them is a little disturbing). Overall, it is a very interesting read.
American Aristocrat.......2007-09-11
I commend the author for forging a career as a non-academic historian. Few of our tenured scholars write this well, few could get tenure in this day and age expressing affection and admiration for this great republican President and his family of Dutch aristocrats. McCullough is thorough and critical, but never hesitates to show his warm-hearted respect for this extraordinary man who devoted his life to conservation and social advocacy, two fields of life-endeavor totally abandoned by the modern Republicans. Founder of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum, TD was the product of that strange era in American life when the rich identified with America but were not duped into celebrating mediocrity and such popular institutions as the public schools. TD was tutored at home and kept away from the "coarsening" influences of the general public. He then set about to enrich the masses by supporting great institutions. Interesting, TD's arch-rival, John D. Rockefeller, dedicated his life to the same goals. In the 19th century, the rich held the public in contempt for their "commonness" but also felt obliged to "give." This is a charming study of this most charmed family.
TR Fan.......2007-09-06
Excellent, well written book! One of the better biography's of the late, great TR. A must read for all TR fan's.
Bully for This Book!.......2007-09-01
This has to be one of the best biographies I have ever read. David Mccullough's storytelling draws you in, and gives you an intimate look at Teddy's pre-presidential days. The only negative is that it isn't long enough!
How the last "renaissance man" president was created.......2007-07-15
I'll admit up front that I believe Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite president and certainly one of our greatest. He was probably one of the last "renaissance men" of our time; a successful politician, reformer, war hero, historian, naturalist, and rancher (ok, not too successful as a rancher).
But the beauty of Mornings On Horseback is that it adds another dimension to Roosevelt. Unlike many other books on the man, which focus on his accomplishments as a politician and leader, McCullough has used diaries and letters to paint a picture of the family side of TR. Not just a more developed picture of TR himself, but also of his family and the impact of their relationships on each other and on the future president himself.
If you're looking for a book about TR's accomplishments, this is not the book. However, if you're looking for a book that provides insights into how the great man was created Mornings on Horseback fills that need. McCullough notes that he ended his story after TR came back from the "badlands" and ran for mayor of New York. Although the TR story goes beyond that time, the author feels that the essential TR had been created by then, and McCullough's focus is on that story.
Average customer rating:
- A Great Biography of a Little Known Historical Figure
- Spellbinding!!
- Amazing New Biography
- The Ultimate Man of the Delta
- Phenomenally intriguing, accurate, and detailed.
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Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear
Minor Ferris Buchanan
Manufacturer: Centennial Press of Mississippi, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1893062376 |
Book Description
On November 14, 2002, the 100th anniversary of the world famous Teddy Bear will be celebrated. The origin of the Teddy Bear stems from an occasion when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the wilderness of Mississippi in hopes of killing a black bear. He was guided on this hunt by Holt Collier, a former slave, Confederate veteran (yes-amazing though it sounds), Texas cowboy, Mississippi lawman, and noted pioneer. He is known to have killed over 3,000 bear in his lifetime, more than Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett combined. Roosevelt, who also hunted with Collier in Louisiana in 1907, called him "the greatest hunter and guide I have ever known."
Collier killed many white men, several in Mississippi. One exciting incident in his biography is a detailed description of the gunfight at Washburn's Ferry where Collier out-drew the notorious Louisiana outlaw Travis Elmore Sage. He was prosecuted only once-for the murder of a Union captain after the Civil War-but he was acquitted. Collier was famous nationally during his lifetime, but the racial atmosphere in Mississippi for the last eighty years kept his remarkable story from being told. There is no detailed and authoritative work on Holt Collier or the origin of the Teddy Bear other than this book.
Customer Reviews:
A Great Biography of a Little Known Historical Figure.......2007-10-16
Although this book would probably be considered politically incorrect by the black community because it relate Collier's devotion to the South and the Confederate cause, it fills a void that's long existed in telling the true history of Mississippi's past. This book takes us through Collier's entire life from slavery through his final years in retirement when he became invisible and forgotten in the annals of history. It also does a good job in telling the story of Teddy Roosevelt bear hunt that led to the creation of the "Teddy Bear" as a result of the Nast cartoon. And it tells us that the legend that grew out of that hunt was in many ways incorrect or an oversimplification of the event.
Minor Buchanan does not approach this as a quick book project to make a few bucks by assembling a collection of anecdotes he collected around the state. He poured all his free time into research for quite a long time before even getting to the point of putting together a cogent retelling of Holt Collier's life. I've had the pleasure of knowing Minor for some years and can say that I have seen how devoted he has been to this project and how much he likes to talk about the history of this unique individual, especially things that he learned that simply couldn't be fit into the book's written word.
Spellbinding!!.......2003-07-15
This is a must-read book for anyone interested in any of the following topics: African-American History, hunting, Theodore Roosevelt, Southern History, the Civil War, and William Faulkner. As an avid Faulkner reader, I cannot help but conclude that Holt Collier is the real-life person upon which the pivotal character of Sam Fathers is based. Beyond this observation, the book is well researched and is an excellent read. You will not be disappointed. HOLT COLLIER deserves a wide audience and should be assigned reading.
Amazing New Biography.......2002-12-24
Brilliantly written non-fiction biography using countless primary sources. An amazing new character never before presented to the general public. If this book had not been sent to me as a present I would have never heard of it. Apparently it has been sold only as a regional book, but I can assure any reader, it will have a national following in due course. Very highly recommended. Well worth the read. You will come away from this book thinking about it for weeks, and frankly, you will soon pick it up to read it again.
The Ultimate Man of the Delta.......2002-12-10
As a history major in college I developed a taste for the truth that can only be found in biographies. Over the years I have kept a small library in my home and under my bed to read at night, prior to retiring. The book by Mr. Buchanan is a detailed, accurate account of this man and his relationships to the men around him and his world. Being a product of the Mississippi Delta, I can see Holt Collier in the deep bayou's of the old Delta, hunting the bears. I admire the writer's style in his ability to place me there beside Holt all along the way in this book. There, in the realities of Holt's world, the reader walks his paths, thinks his thoughts, and feels the anger he feels.
Finally I would like to thank Mr. Buchanan for this effort and look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.
Phenomenally intriguing, accurate, and detailed........2002-11-07
Minor Ferris Buchanan excells in this historical document of Holt Collier: an ex-slave, Confederate soldier, and excellent big-game hunter. I found the portrayal of this very accomplished individual more intriguing and inspiring than any other Afro-American biography I've ever come across (including those of Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X)
I loved it!
Amazon.com
In this lively biography, Edmund Morris returns to the gifted, energetic, and thoroughly controversial man whom the novelist Henry James called "King Theodore." In his two terms as president of the United States, Roosevelt forged an American empire, and he behaved as if it was his destiny. In this sequel to his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Morris charts Roosevelt's accomplishments: the acquisition of the Panama Canal and the Philippines, the creation of national parks and monuments, and more. "Collaring Capital and Labor in either hand," Morris writes, Roosevelt made few friends, but he usually got what he wanted--and earned an enduring place in history.
Morris combines a fine command of the era's big issues with an appreciation for the daily minutiae involved in governing a nation. Less controversially inventive, but no less readable, than the Ronald Reagan biography Dutch, Theodore Rex gives readers new reason both to admire and fault an American phenomenon. --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Theodore Rex is the story—never fully told before—of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, “TR” succeeded to power in the aftermath of an act of terrorism. Youngest of all our chief executives, he rallied a stricken nation with his superhuman energy, charm, and political skills. He proceeded to combat the problems of race and labor relations and trust control while making the Panama Canal possible and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. But his most historic achievement remains his creation of a national conservation policy, and his monument millions of acres of protected parks and forest.
Theodore Rex ends with TR leaving office, still only fifty years old, his future reputation secure as one of our greatest presidents.
Customer Reviews:
It started with Leadership: past, Present & Future by Carlos M. Rivera.......2007-09-17
After reading the book Leadership: Past, Present & Future by Carlos M. Rivera he talks about Theodore Roosevelt as one of the best Past Leaders, and at the back he has a list of recommended great books one of them is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt By Edmund Morris and this one. When you read Leadership: Past, Present & Future is like the best of Theodore Roosevelt and you want to learn more about him and about others leaders in the book. After reading the 3 books I have learn to admire him more and more.
Theodore Rex.......2007-03-17
Good book, TR accomplished an amazing amount of projects while President of the United States. This book offers a lot of insight to the interworkings of politics of the day, in many ways similar to the issues of modern times.
Good, but not better.......2007-03-13
A very good and entertaining book.
But, if you are only going to read this one or Morris' earlier "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" read the first one. That one gave me a good sense of the man and how his childhood and early adulthood turned him into the person and president he became.
"Theodore Rex", to me, lacked the cohesiveness of "The Rise." It had too much of a chronological structure ("and then this happened") for me to enjoy it as much as I had anticipated.
WELL WRITTEN AND INFORMATIVE........2007-03-10
This is a sound, well researched and well written account of Theodore Roosevelt's White House Years, his administration, the world situation in general and the man, Teddy, in particular. This is the second volume of a three volume work, the first being "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. I, like another reviewer here, was stuck by the parallels of that day and time to our present world situation. Changes were coming hot and heavy, the world was changing almost on a monthly bases, much as it is now. Technology was changing the way we live and changing our world. Such is the situation of today. Their reaction to those changing times, versus our reaction is quite interesting. Be that as it may, this work is well done. I appreciated the many background notes the author provided, something that seems to be lacking in many current biographies. The author perhaps got bogged down somewhat in his explanation of legislative matters, but that is a matter of personal taste on my part, being more interested in the man, than in the inner workings of our government at the time. Again though, this is a matter of taste and many will find this quite informative. The only part of the book that annoyed my somewhat, and again, it is just me, is the author's constant use of French phrases. I don't speak French, never have and never will. While they perhaps make the author appear quite sophisticated, which I am sure he is, these phrases left be rather cold. That was a minor glitch for me though and really nothing to complain too much about. I feel the book, simply through explaining the situations Roosevelt found himself in, show that while this president may not go down in history as our greatest leader, he was indeed, probably the right man in the right spot at the right time. Overall, recommend this one highly.
Teddy from a Panamanian Point of View.......2007-01-04
Teddy is a figure in history that we all know not just from history lessons but also from our "Teddy" bears. This gave me, as a USA resident of Panama for more than 50 years, a better idea of what he did and how he did it to get the canal built...and in Panama. Mr. Morris gives a wonderful portrait of a man who really was "for the people" and today we could use a few politicians like him
Customer Reviews:
Great subject but so so book.......2007-04-05
I grew up being a fan of Theodore Roosevelt. His energy, unabased patriotism, and concern for the people all attracted me. As time went on and I learned more of him that admiration slowly receded. Nowadays, I can admire his energy but his patriotism I realise was over the line, border line jingoism. His 'concern' for the people caused him to ignore and reinterpert the Constitution in ways favorably to actions he wanted to take.
That said, Mr. Brands has not done a particularly interesting book. The style of writing is breezy and almost tabloid in style. Details are often lacking and opinions are injected without indentifing themselves as such. In stark contrast to Theodore Rex by Mr. Morris, this book seems to be a lightweight. Little concern is apparent in Mr. Brands writings concerneing the damage TR was doing to both the nation and Constitution with his cavaliar attitude in governing the nation. If you want to know about TR's decision making at critical junctions in history or indepth background to such, this is not the book for you. Mr. Morris' book is far better then this Hollywood style tome.
At best this book might be a TR primer, for sure it is not the best book on the subject.
The Public and Private TR.......2006-05-07
This book was HW Brands' first book-length biography. He tackled a challenging subject and succeeded marvelously. The thing about Teddy Roosevelt is that he would be a fascinating character even if he had not become President.
To fit Roosevelt's life into a single volume extended the book to 800+ pages (paperback), but well worth the read. This life deserves it. TR's maniacal energy pulses through the book. TR was a true polymath as well as a 'man of action'. He charges through the book and a towering public career with 'dee-lightful' gusto. An extreme example: he gave a speech in Milwaukee despite still bleeding from a gunshot received that same day. Roosevelt's biggest political mistake came when he announced that he would not run for second full term (He did so because he had served nearly all of McKinley's term). As a result he was out of office at the age of 50!
At the same time his private life revealed a darkness. Stunned by the early death of his father when he was a youth and then by the deaths of his first wife and mother on the same night when he was at Harvard, Roosevelt seems to have never recovered emotionally. After the latter event, he left for the Dakotas and his cowboy period leaving his infant daughter (the redoubtable Alice Roosevelt Longworth) behind. The child, whose mother died two days after her birth, was virtually ignored by Roosevelt. Near the end of his life his youngest son dies in World War One and TR is crushed.
Brands makes extensive use of Roosevelt's personal letters to tell the story of this amazing life. Highly recommended.
A Canny Historian Dissects "Pure Act".......2005-11-25
Two of the finest historical biographies I have consumed in my lifetime have come from the pen of H.W. Brands. The work at hand on Theodore Roosevelt was published in 1997; the other, on Benjamin Franklin, in 2000. Both works pass muster for scholarly accuracy and content. What is intriguing is the author's ability to adapt style to his subject and the times. Franklin's life carries the gravitas of the building of the constitutional life of the United States of America. Roosevelt's, in contrast, bears the energy of a man who came to power as America was high on its own industrial hubris. Brands' Roosevelt is a product of the Gilded Age with the common sense to see its tarnish as well. The T.R. of this work may not be wise, but he was definitely smart.
Born a sickly child to a New York family of some means in 1858, young Roosevelt almost from first consciousness set himself on the road to self-improvement. Brands suggests that one motivating factor may have been Roosevelt's regard for his father, Theodore Sr. The elder Roosevelt had been successful in business and family life, but there was one glaring omission in his resume: he had purchased his way out of the 1863 Union draft. How much this $300 gesture affected his son is a mystery, of course, but there is no denying that the young Theodore [and later, the middle-aged Theodore] would never miss a bugle call.
Roosevelt's professional resume is eclectic and even eccentric. Although he was born into money, he was not so rich that he needn't work. A lawyer by profession, Roosevelt's drive and self confidence would never let him live conventionally, and he seems to have suffered from chronic "vocational crisis." For the young and the restless of his day, the two great frontiers were politics and the open West, and T.R. ventured into both.
There is some irony in this, because in truth Roosevelt was not genetically suited for either. His Dakota ranching years proved to be an expensive, uncomfortable, and at times dangerous experiment that took a large bite from the family fortunes. On the other hand, he acquired the skills that would later help him corral enemies in his gilded Republican party. Dakota in many ways was the paradigm for the political Roosevelt: a man strangely out of place in a hostile environment who proved to be doggedly likeable and yet someone not to be trifled with, either.
His rise through the Republican Party was the antithesis of, say, that of McKinley or Harding, or even his dear friend Henry Cabot Lodge. Put briefly, he was so loud and so popular that party leaders virtually had to hold their noses and swallow hard. Brands' description of Roosevelt's nomination to the vice-presidency sounds for all the world like the tale of a middle manager being booted upstairs because no one could work with him. Roosevelt in the executive branch was bearable; it was, after all, a McKinley universe.
McKinley, sadly, departed the scene sooner than anyone expected. And yet, for his seven-plus years in the White House, Roosevelt must have felt as if he was still in the McKinley orbit. He was not totally unlike his young relative Franklin Roosevelt in terms of political fortunes: electorally untouchable, professionally anathema. In the case of T.R., he captured the great electoral middle ground with rhetoric that decried the trusts and the excesses of big business, on the one hand, and radicalism on the other. He would easily have captured the 1908 election had he kept his mouth shut, but he felt compelled to honor his public remarks made years earlier that he believed his completion of McKinley's term should constitute his own first term as well.
Roosevelt's executive strength lie in national defense and foreign policy. He had long been a disciple of the Alfred Thayer Mann school of strong navies, and it is not surprising that the Panama Canal is one of his legacies. The canal's strategic importance in two subsequent world wars has dulled Americans to the memory of Roosevelt's Caribbean chicanery in making it possible. In T.R.'s defense it can be said that he was probably as knowledgeable of world politics as any president of his era and very much a realist on matters of American military capabilities.
His understanding of Emperor Wilhelm and the deteriorating European alignment probably made his retirement extremely difficult, and he seems to have been rather unsatisfied with his progress of effecting the "Square Deal" for American workers. Much of this frustration was projected onto his anointed successor, William Howard Taft. Roosevelt's treatment of Taft as described by Brands is morally repugnant, and one is hard pressed to feel much sympathy for Roosevelt's political derailing in 1912.
The complexity of Roosevelt's affections for Taft might come as a surprise to those who subscribe to Henry Adams' description of T.R. as "pure act." In truth, Roosevelt's psyche and the complexities of his personal life deserve and receive substantial attention. Consider, for example, his conjugal life. After a brief infatuation with Edith Carow, Roosevelt was smitten by her friend Alice Lee and eventually married her. In letters to his friends Roosevelt described his life with Alice as unimaginably happy. What he could not have foreseen was Alice's untimely death in childbirth. The reader must make what he will of Roosevelt's behavior in his grief, as he gave away baby Alice to relatives until he was well established in his second marriage to the runner-up Edith. It was Edith, hardly naïve to the realities of the situation, who bore the next five of Roosevelt's children.
Roosevelt's record as a husband and father was mixed. One winces at his absences and hunting trips. On the other hand, he professed and lived a fined tuned moral stance toward marital fidelity and parenting. Whether his longtime wife Edith ever felt she had received a "Square Deal"....
a Strong Biography but not Brands best.......2005-10-16
The bar is high for H.W. Brands - after a bigoraphy as nearly perfect as "The First American" we have come to expect great things. Well in "TR" we have a nearly perfect biography on Teddy Roosevelt.
To me, Brands strength is his flowing style that often reads as fiction. Unfortunately that is the lone chink in "TR" it is a little choppy and not as fluid as we have come to expect.
As far as the subjects matter: Teddy Roosevelt may have been the strongest personality America has produced ...ever. His life is one that reads of power, strength and an enormous drive to achieve great things. Brands is able to capture these elements of TR's life and paint a fascinating picture of a man that was born to be president (interestingly enough TR is one of the few men who ever ENJOYED being president).
As a whole - I will admit that I was still a little disappointed, mainly dur to my respect for Brands. While "TR" is not to the level of "The First American" it is still better than your typical biography on Teddy Roosevelt.
Great Place to Start for fans of Roosevelt.......2004-12-22
The sheer size of this book is probably going to prevent most people who aren't avid Teddy Roosevelt fans from picking it up, and that's too bad. This is a wonderful book, factually presented and egagingly written that will keep the reader going. And, though it's a biography and HAS to stop when the life of the subject does, it'll leave you wishing that life had lasted a little longer.
Customer Reviews:
A Must-Read for the U.S. History Student!.......2006-03-09
What a wonderful book! Teddy Roosevelt was brilliantly ressurected for us by George Grant in this comprehensive, yet easy-to-read work (because of the chapter lengths). Section 1 is a biography of his life; Section 2 contains short chapters on his character, and many sides to his life; Section 3 deals with his legacy.
This book gives the reader a good look a life in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th century, as well as one of the period's most beloved of heroes.
Biased -- Better Stuff Available.......2005-06-08
I just wanted a simple biography on Theodore Roosevelt, but this was pretty openly and obviously a book with an agenda. True, the basics about Theodore Roosevelt are here, but the emphasis is on spiritual faith and values. Since I read this book, I read Roosevlet's autobiography and came to realize that he is much more complex than this book suggests.
Carry A Big Stick.......2003-08-29
This is an incredible book, that truly gives you the insight of one of the greatest men that ever lived. Filled with many incredible principles to live by, you WILL enjoy this book and the excitement it brings to your life!
Errors galore in this Conservative Christian propaganda!.......2003-04-22
I've read 40+ plus books by or about TR and this is the worst, one-sided view of this complex, multi-facted man. This is as bad as the radical-left "Howard Zinn-ism" revisionist history of TR's foreign policies.
There are too many "blatant" errors to list in this mini-review, but just for starters:
1). TR did not, as the author claims, visit his mother's Georgia plantation "10 or more times". It is well documented that TR only visited Bulloch Hall twice -once as president and once post-White House. He did not have a very high opinion of most Southerners, despite the author's claims to the contrary. His wife abhorred most Southerners.
2). TR did not force his children, particulary Alice, to attend church every Sunday. Edith was the religious task master of the family and in her quiet manner usually rounded up all kids, except for Alice. Alice was a well-known, open atheist from her teen years until she died. TR and Edith had accepted the teenager's refusal to be confirmed in the Episcopal church or any other church. Their son Archie also grew up to be an agnostic.
3). TR most certainly did NOT shower Edith with flowers and jewels. He never even remembered her birthday (though he never forgot the date of their engagement and wedding anniversay). Edith hated receiving extravagent gifts from anyone, especially her husband. They did have a very happy marriage and home life but he also known for taking off on 3-month hunting trips soon after Edith would deliver another baby.
4). TR most certainly did like to attend parties and was a professional social butterfly because he knew he would probably end up as the main attraction - just what his ego needed. The author paints TR as a man who shunned social gatherings to be with his family 24/7. Definitely not true. He LOVED being around people of all and any type, though his wife certainly like to stoke the home fires more than making the social rounds.
5). TR never made any speeches about abortion. Abortion was not on the radar screen in his time. The author uses quotes that TR said about women not wanting to get married and raise families to make it seem as though TR were speaking direcly on the subject of abortion.
6). TR believed in and preached on the separation of Church and State. He wanted to remove "In God We Trust" from the US coinnage and even pushed one of the leading artists of that time, Grant LaFarge, to create a new design. The "religious right" of his time went ballistic over this decision and he later backed down. He made many speeches proclaiming that the Church stay out of the affairs of the State. Indeed, he was a strong, "old school" Christian who did preach to the citizens the value of religion, a happy home life, and following the morals one teaches to his/her children. However, he also thought a country would head down the dangerous path if a certain religion or belief were forced upon its citizens.
I would not recommend this book on TR to ANYONE.
My, wasn't that just bully!.......2003-04-20
George Grant has written a delightful book about a delightful man.
Book Description
Harness the Power of TR's Charisma
Theodore Roosevelt was a leader of uncommon strength who, through the sheer force of his extraordinary will, turned America into a modern world power. Thrown headfirst into the presidency by the assassination of his predecessor, he led with courage, character, and vision in the face of overwhelming challenges, whether busting corporate trusts or building the Panama Canal. Roosevelt has been a hero to millions of Americans for over a century and is a splendid model to help you master today's turbulent marketplace and be a hero and a leader in your own organization.
Customer Reviews:
Lessons from a "Roughrider".......2005-03-17
Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent person to study for one simple reason: He believed that his leadership abilities were learned and developed. By reading and studying other leaders, he made a concerted effort to develop himself (much like the way he developed his weak and sickly body into the "roughrider" we now remember). Roosevelt wrote of Ulysses S. Grant, "It is part of the man's greatness that now we can use his career purely for illustration." You and I can say the same thing about TR.
Leadership as Service, Character, Courage, Common Sense.......2003-04-19
Theodore Roosevelt was many different things to many different people. Most of all, he was a charismatic leader who inspired himself and others to great achievements in a time when America was starting to come of age as an emerging world power. James Strock did a tremendous job in capturing the many leadership lessons that can be learned from the life and times of this extraordinary man.
The book's thirteen chapter titles do a good job of describing Roosevelt's leadership effectiveness: "Leading-wherever you are," "Always learning," "Action, action, and still more action," "Getting the best on your team," "Putting action into words," and "Putting words into action" to name just a few. At the end of each chapter is a listing of Roosevelt's leadership take-aways that can serve as an excellent primer on leadership. For example, "A leader should aim to build a life based on service, not a career based on advancing up a series of positions," "Strive to exemplify character," "Courage (physical and moral) can be developed as an act of will," and "Use simple, down-to-earth stories to communicate complex issues."
Throughout the book, Strock made great use of many colorful Roosevelt quotes and anecdotes, what I affectionately call, "Teddyisms," to reinforce his main points and help bring those points to life. Besides extensive research into the life, writings, and others' personal recollections of Roosevelt, Strock made many effective references to respected current leadership and management experts such as Stephen Covey, Peter Drucker, John Maxwell, and Warren Bennis. Those references proved to me that Roosevelt's leadership has stood the test of time and is certainly still applicable today.
This book helped reinforce my opinion of Roosevelt as a morally and physically courageous leader who was not afraid to follow his vision and convictions despite often open and powerful public opposition. After reading this book, I can understand why many people view Roosevelt as a benchmark against which to judge public servants, especially presidents.
An excellent book:.......2001-09-29
Strock has done a great job of analyzing how one man could add exponential value towards making America a noble and strong country. And the explanations of Roosevelt's skills in current not just contemporary terms make Roosevelt's strengths transferable! Thanks for this great book! You leaders will be better for reading this.
An excellent book:.......2001-09-29
Strock has done a great job of analyzing how one man could add exponential value towards making America a noble and strong country. And the explanations of Roosevelt's skills in current not just contemporary terms make Roosevelt's strengths transferable! Thanks for this great book! You leaders will be better for reading this.
Riding Again into the 21st Century.......2001-05-31
The fact that Teddy Roosevelt was president during America's transistion into the 20the century, and the important lessons and context his actions and personality offer for American leadership in the 21st century, is the fulcrum for this very compelling and insightful book. TR was really the first modern president, who used the bully pulpit like no president before him (and without benefit of a T.V. camera), to inspire notions of preservation and conservation, corporate and personal responsibility, technological progress and innovation, and U.S.leadership in the world domain. There are many parallels to today, but some revealing contrasts, too. For example, the same man who built a world-class Great White naval fleet over the objections of many in Congress, organized the first international environmental conference. (Nowadays, as citizens and leaders, we tend to polarize between "pro-environment" and "pro-commercial development" and/or "pro-military".) As Strock writes, TR was indeed a "preacher militant"! Strock has written a sequel, in essence, to his very well-regarded book on Reagan and leadership; ironically, the Reagan book dealt with an "old-fashioned" presidency in terms of instilling fundamental values and restoring confidence in the American story, while TR, who predates Reagan as president by 80 years, is seemingly more of a "modern" president, invoking change and sustaining bigger government for specific purposes, and challenging all around him to soar to new heights. Both have many common traits: each lived the life personally that he espoused for the general population, neither trusted (fully) large combinations of businees (or labor) interests, each implored all Americans to recognize their special place in world history, and each could be mule-like in their insistence on what he considered America's best interests. As to the particular times in which TR led, I was struck by how relatively tiny was the domain of the Federal government (the IRS did not even exist!), and was reminded of how much imbalance existed as a result of the industrial age, similar in certain respects to the modern discrepancies associated with the new technical era. While TR certainly believed that people controlled their own destinies, he obviously led the charge for government action on many issues of social concerns, and felt very strongly that business had obligations and accountability accordingly. Thus, Strock has written a "modern" book about a modern turn-of-a-century president, whose ideas never go out of style. While written with a light touch, it is inspiring and thought-provoking. I hope he continues his practical series on presidential leadership.
Book Description
Published when Theodore Roosevelt was only twenty-three years old, The Naval War of 1812 was immediately hailed as a literary and scholarly triumph, and it is still considered the definitive book on the subject. It caused considerable controversy for its bold refutation of earlier accounts of the war, but its brilliant analysis and balanced tone left critics floundering, changed the course of U.S. military history by renewing interest in our obsolete forces, and set the young author and political hopeful on a path to greatness. Roosevelt's inimitable style and robust narrative make The Naval War of 1812 enthralling, illuminating, and utterly essential to every armchair historian.
Download Description
Published when Theodore Roosevelt was only twenty-three years old, The Naval War of 1812 was immediately hailed as a literary and scholarly triumph, and it is still considered the definitive book on the subject. It caused considerable controversy for its bold refutation of earlier accounts of the war, but its brilliant analysis and balanced tone left critics floundering, changed the course of U.S. military history by renewing interest in our obsolete forces, and set the young author and political hopeful on a path to greatness. Roosevelt's inimitable style and robust narrative make The Naval War of 1812 enthralling, illuminating, and utterly essential to every armchair historian.
Customer Reviews:
Better insight into TR than history of 1812.......2006-06-05
I read this book to try and kill two birds with one stone - get a better feel for one of my favorite Americans and learn about the war of 1812. Unfortunately Roosevelt focuses on the naval actions without giving much context or background. He also assumes you will know a lot of the nautical terms he uses and I did not. Roosevelt is fixated with refuting William James' "Naval History of Great Britain" at every turn, which got tiring; even if it did provide a lot of insight into how obsessive the man was and how relentlessly he attacked those obsessions.
Roosevelt is at his best when he gets into the heroism of battle, often complementing the British as a way to further pump up the Americans. The payoff for me was the last chapter on the battle of New Orleans, which is not primarily naval, and was written a couple of years after the rest of the book. Here you get his red-blooded opinions on Jefferson, Jackson, and slavery, along with a bully battle narrative.
Wonderful account of the naval war of 1812.......2004-12-21
I must admit that after seeing that this book was written well over a century ago, I was a bit hesitant, but I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this work.
Theodore Roosevelt, the future president, at the age of 23 has written a very impartial(by standards of the day)study of the young US Navy in the War of 1812. Not a dry history, but a very readable and enjoyable book. Prior works on the War of 1812 are very biased whether it was written by British or American authors. Roosevelt does not fail to excite when it comes to the ship to ship duels, where more often than not, the US Navy comes out on top.
However, their are some problems. Roosevelt is very critical of the famous William James account of the conflict. He cites many errors and biases, with justification. However, Roosevelt often digresses too much in this regard, or I would have given this work 5 stars. Regardless, this book was a pleasure to read and a must have for the Patrick O'Brian fans out there(Like me!)
Three Cheers for America!.......2000-10-09
In a time when patriotism is passe, reading this book can redden the stuff in any American's veins. Our Navy's often-victorious battles against a superb and numerically superior foe ranks with the Athenian victory at Marathon in the annals of honor. Roosevelt was a natural storyteller and a first-rate scholar. Like JFK two generations later ("Why England Slept") this work was the product of a young twentysomething Harvard grad (JFK was actually a senior) that commanded serious attention nationally, and presaged a later rise to the summit of public life. Roosevelt's research is exhaustive, but not tedious, thanks to a vigorous prose style that carries the reader through a mass of detail without losing sail. The digression on which nationalities make the best seafarers would no doubt be considered un-PC today, but, as a general characterization of national characteristics, they arguably hold true. The author's final chapter, on the Battle of New Orleans, forshadows future policy, in that his criticism of the unreliability of the militia were embodied in the reforms that fully Federalized the National Guard, as the Dick Act of 1903. (Doubtless, his Spanish-American War experiences contributed to his desire to supplant the 1793 Militia Act, as well.) This book rests on my shelf, next to Mahan's "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," and O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin novels - as is fitting for an historical work written in the spirit of high adventure and studded with minute detail. -Lloyd A. Conway
Roosevelt's inimitable style.......1999-12-19
This very well-written account, surprising from a youth of only 23, gives balanced portrayals of most of the major sea battles between the fledgling American navy, and the Lord of the Seas, Great Britain. In it, Roosevelt backs up his praise of American maritime ingenuity and the seaworthiness and discipline of its sailors with proofs, citations and cautious but sound reasoning. In each, diagrams of the engagements are provided, as well as other documented statistics, without overloading the reader with details, yet there are plenty of those. Roosevelt describes the handling of each ship and the actions of its captains with minute detail, without being, to the layman, purely technical. Although Roosevelt beats the patriotic drum, he also swings a corrective switch, against our commanders and our partisan historians, when their actions are faulty and objectionable -- a fact which underscores his fairmindedness and the authenticity of his rendering.
Interesting But Tedious.......1999-11-25
Knowing that this book was written by Theodore Roosevelt makes it an important book regardless of the actual text. TR's influence on the strategic importance of seapower can be traced back to his feelings as a young author. The book itself was tedious and not very inspiring. It's interesting to glimpse the feelings of the young, strong, post-Civil War American writing the book. As far as a history of the War of 1812, you can do much better elsewhere.
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