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.
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
 African-American & Black
| Ethnic & National
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Roosevelt, Theodore
| ( R )
| People, A-Z
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
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
St. Martin's is proud to present a new and continuing series of the greatest classics in the literature of hunting and adventure, chosen from the personal library of writer and big game hunter Peter Hathaway Capstick. These showcase volumes will once again make available the true masterpieces of Africana to collectors, armchair hunters, sportsmen, and readers at large.The twenty-sixth president of the United States was also a world-renowned hunter, conservationist, soldier, and scholar. In 1908 he took a long safari holiday in East Africa with his son Kermit. His account of this adventure is as remarkably fresh today as it was when these adventures on the veldt were first published. Roosevelt describes the excitement of the chase, the people he met (including such famous hunters as Cunninghame and Selous), and flora and fauna he collected in the name of science. Long out of print, this classic is one of the preeminent examples of Africana, and belongs on every collector's shelf.
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This book reads like a loping conversation with Roosevelt about his safari in east Africa. He is full of dated opinions about native peoples, and the endless hunting scenes are not for vegetarians. All this said, it is a bully adventure book.
Customer Reviews:
African Game Trails (Capstick Library).......2007-01-24
I purchased a copy of this book and am extremely disapointed with the quality of the photographs. They are so fuzzy and out-of-focus as to be useless--in some cases unrecognizable. I'm suprised that you offer such a poor quality volume for sale. I coresponded with the publisher and the nice young lady offered to send me another copy but added "I looked at the pictures and they're terrible." I replied that I already had one lousy copy and did not need another. You should check the quality of this volume carefully....it's terrible!
African Game Trails : An Account of the African Wanderings of an American Hunter-Naturalist .......2006-03-24
I cannot get enough of Teddy Roosevelt this man is unbelievable in all his accomplishment
as a hunter and naturalist a great American you must read his works.the book is five stars.
mike gorman.
Classic African Safari Travel Narrative.......2002-11-22
In 1909, just after the end of his term as President, Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Africa for a year long safari.The trip was a major undertaking ; hundreds of porters were needed to carry his baggage. Roosevelt's son, Kermit came along, taking photographs which are reproduced in the book. Roosevelt and company bag hundred of animals. It appears that all hunting rules were suspended for the ex-president. Roosevelt and son are soon blasting away at anything and everything that comes into view. British East Africa is described in terms that make today's politically correct readers wince. Attitudes have changed dramatically in less than one hundred years. It is odd to hear Roosevelt describe parts of Africa as a "white man's country," suitable for large scale settlement by Europeans. The book bogs down and I was unable to read it without skimming through some parts. The descriptions of marching through wilderness and chasing after game on foot and on horseback seem to go on forever. There is a lot of great infomation here even if it is necessary to become your own editor by skipping though tedious parts.
A must read if you are going on safari.......2002-05-20
This book gives you the genuine flavor of safari 80 years ago.
Better than being there.......2001-11-24
Not being very good with a gun, having little outdoorsman skills, and not being in the best shape of my life, reading this book was better than being there. If I was there, I would miss the animals, I would be too tired to enjoy it, and besides all of that, Africa is not as it was 100 years ago.
I have just begun to reread this book, and I don't know how many times this is. I enjoy it each and every time I pick it up.
Book Description
Nathan Miller's critically acclaimed biography of Theodore Roosevelt is the first complete one-volume life of the Rough Rider to be published in more than thirty years. From his sickly childhood to charging up San Juan Hill to waving his fist under J.P. Morgan's rubicund nose, Theodore Roosevelt offers the intimate history of a man who continues to cast a magic spell over the American imagination.
As the twenty-sixth president of the United States, from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt embodied the overwheliming confidence of the nation as it entered the American Century. With fierce joy, he brandished a "Big Stick" abroad and promised a "Square Deal" at home. He was the nation's first environmental president, challenged the trusts, and, as the first American leader to play an important role in world affairs, began construction of a long-dreamed canal across Panama and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for almost singlehandedly bringing about a peaceful end to the Russo-Japanese War.
In addition to following Roosevelt's political career, Theodore Roosevelt looks deeply into his personal relations to draw a three-dimensional portrait of a man who confronted life-wrenching tragedies as well as triumphs. It is biography at its most compelling.
Customer Reviews:
A Wonderful Read.......2007-09-04
I feel the same as some of the other reviewers here. The coverage of Roosevelts presidency was somewhat limited as was his post presidential accomplishments. It seems as if Miller was rushed for time when writing the conclusion. Had this been a two volume set and each part of Roosevelts life given the same concern, this would have been delightful. I was also taken aback that the book just ended. I would loved to have known how the public responded to this great man's death, and seen a little more enlightenment into how his legacy grew beyond his mortality.
Positively though, the book at times made me laugh out loud, especially at the thought of a ten year old Theodore finding that his latest science experiment had been chucked out the window by the maid. "Oh, the loss to science, the loss!"
I so wish that another great American like Theodore Roosevelt would step up to the plate. His legacy is even stronger nearly one hundred years after his presidency.
Simply Bully Bio!.......2007-03-29
I am reading all the presential bios in order.
This was by FAR one of the greatest bios I have read thus far. The author does a magnificent job in showing us what TR was like. I got very close to the subject and really *felt* this book.
He provides LOTS of detail and anecdotes, but in such a readable way. I would find myself reading 75 to 100 pages in one sitting without even realizing it.
If you are reading all the presidential bios like I am, THIS is the book to read for TR. After you are done, you can go back and read the series currently out (Theodore Rex, When the Trumpets Call, etc) to fill in the rest.
This book does TR great justice. A great book for a great person!
The Best of TR.......2007-01-20
Whether studying the presidents or just looking for enjoyable reading, this book is a must. From the young boy, to his young bride, to his adventurous days in the American frontier, the Charge, the presidency and until the disappointing decisions of his old age, this book can not be put down. It reads more like a novel than a biography of a historical figure. A larger than life historical figure. Bravo!
A gripping recount of TR and the Progressive Era.......2005-03-18
Having read a biography of Theodore Roosevelt 20 years ago it's amazing the light years biographies have come. Biographies until recent times had been little more than recitations of their life and times, but now are delving much more deeply into original source documents and completing a much fuller and more comprehensive picture of that subject. Biographers are also taking a much more multi-disciplinary approach pulling in sociology, psychology, history, political science and economics that make biographies a much richer read. You feel like you really understand them in the context of their times.
Theodore Roosevelt by Nathan Miller is just such a read. Theodore Roosevelt is already a lively and entertaining figure and his life was like a movie anyways. Sickly child to Wildman of the West, Society Dandy to wily politician, scorned outsider to President. Miller captures it all in style that fairly crackles with life. His writing on the period of TR's entry to politics through to the Spanish-American War was so gripping I could hardly put it down. Miller pulls in a great number of archival and original sources to paint a much more complete comprehensive and engaging portrait of TR. I haven't read Edmund Morris's Theodore Rex yet, but hear it's equally good. The anecdotes Miller throws in showcases what a manic bundle of energy TR was, yet he lets TR live in his era. Too often revisionist historians try and impose today's standards on past figures. Miller eschews that and TR is really seen for the man he is.
Theodore Roosevelt is a compelling read for those interested in learning more on him and the Progressive Era. I'd read this book as a companion piece to two courses I was taking last semester, Gilded Age and Progressive Era (HIST 4461) and US Diplomatic History 1890 to Present (HIST 3321) and it tied to both exceedingly well, providing great insight into the context of the times. As far as insight into TR himself I dare say Miller is far more objective than TR was in his autobiography and truly captures TR in most every respect.
Never a dull moment!.......2004-12-30
He assumed the Presidency at the untimely death of President McKinley and for 7 1/2 years, Theodore Roosevelt made history. He was the first American to win the Nobel Peace Prize (Russo-Japanese War) and he put The Panama Canal project back on the rails when it stalled. He entered into a treaty with Japan that forbade Japanese involvement with the Philippines, Hawaii and US interests in China but that enabled Japan to annex Korea later. He negotiated with France, Spain and Germany regarding Morocco that resulted in France and Spain dividing up Morocco and that convinced Germany to build up its navy for war at another time. He also negotiated to reposition the dividing line between Alaska and Canada. On the home front, his administration created laws regulating food and drugs, supervision of insurance companies, investigation of child labor, regulation of the packing houses, establishing standards for meat processing and opened up competition by breaking up the railway, steamship and coal mine joint ownership. TR had the States set up conservation programs for parklands but also for power sites (Niagara Falls) and natural resources such as oil and coal. Roosevelt was the first President to bring the people of the press into the White House to field their questions and also to acknowledge and welcome visitors of artistic/creative talents to the White House. There is so much more. This is not a full biography but centers predominantly on his activities as President. The writer's style is never pedantic or sentimental. Recommended.
Book Description
Unabridged audiobook in MP3 format.
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Patronage does not really help a party. It helps the bosses to get control of the machinery of the party--as in 1912 was true of the Republican party--but it does not help the party. On the average, the most sweeping party victories in our history have been won when the patronage was against the victors. All that the patronage does is to help the worst element in the party retain control of the party organization.
Customer Reviews:
Brilliant.......2007-09-12
Easily one of the best books ever written. Roosevelt is an exceptional writer who lived an amazing life. This book not only shares his tale, but shows you the ideals and ethics which drove him. Very inspiring as to the way in which we should all live our lives.
The Mother of All Presidential Memoirs.......2004-07-01
Witty, quirky, profound, lyrical--this is one of the great American memoirs. The 1999 Modern Library and National Review rankers of the 100 great nonfiction books of the 20th century missed the boat on this one.
He Earned His Spot on Mt Rushmore.......2002-02-04
If he had never entered the public square, Teddy Roosevelt would have created a noble legacy somewhere. He lived every moment of his life to the fullest extent and loved every second of it! He embodied the same ardent zest in the boxing ring, watching birds, being a cowboy, traveling the world, and leading America to its debut as a superpower. Yet, the one role that brought him the most satisfaction among the many diverse parts he joyously played was that of family man. Although he sedulously guard their privacy, enough references exist to reveal the power he derived from his family's love.
The timelessness of ideals can be witnessed again and again in Roosevelt's detailed autobiography, and the parallels to modern day America as are striking as they are plentiful.
In one instance of foresight Roosevelt lambastes so-called "party bosses"--those who manipulate a community, "a man who does not gain his power by open means but by secret means and usually by corrupt means." He points out that "in communities where there is poverty and ignorance, the conditions are ripe for the growth of a boss," and this type of reprobate will be "especially common in big cities (because the boss) fulfills toward the people of his district in rough and rowdy fashion the position of friend and protector." From these snippets of his dissertation, it's easy to wonder if somehow President Roosevelt boarded a time machine and met Al Sharpton. A more thorough description of the unordained reverend (and his many counterparts throughout history) cannot be found than this astute indictment.
He expounds at some length on the president's scared privilege of dispensing clemency and stresses the there "nothing more necessary from the standpoint of good citizenship than the ability to steel one's heart in this matter of granting pardons." (How he must have spun in his grave at Clinton's going-out-of-business pardon sale.) Talking about the anguished imploring of family members (which caused him great anxiety) and the bumptious attempted influence by friends of celebrated criminals (which caused him great anger), Mr. Roosevelt realized that this presidential prerogative should only be used to advance the cause of justice. The remote possibility that pardoning could be abused (a reality that did not develop at the presidential level until 100 years after his term) made him think that life imprisonment was a poor substitute for the death penalty. In a related vain, he saw the insanity plea as a scurrilous cop out; "I have scant sympathy with the plea of insanity advanced to save a man from the consequences of crime, when unless that crime had been committed, it would have been impossible to commit him to an asylum for the insane."
Spotlight-adoring Senator John McCain routinely invokes the memory of President Roosevelt, presumptiously implying that he is somehow the heir apparent to the early 1900's maverick. Examining Teddy Roosevelt's life shows that those similarities exist almost solely in the Arizona senator's mind. While Roosevelt's unwavering integrity made him unpopular, at times, with many in his own party, McCain fluctuating political postures seem to occur primarily to generate headlines. The former president justifiably felt tremendous self-respect--a byproduct of adhering to probity's rubrics. The Arizona senator self-serving pandering for popularity would be comical were it not so insulting that the philodox so willingly slanders a bona fide American icon to further his own career.
Ironically, this reviewer read Roosevelt's disdainful view of abortion on January 22--the anniversary of the Supreme Court's infamous Roe vs. Wade decision. Discussing the crimes where even receiving a request to consider a pardon assaulted his sense of decency, he listed, "rape, or the circulation of indecent literature, ..."white slave" traffic (prostitution), or wife murder, or gross cruelty to women and children, or seduction and abandonment, or the action of some man in getting a girl whom he had seduced to commit an abortion." To President Roosevelt there was no other plausible reason why a woman would kill her unborn child. Some would call him sexist today, but the venom he felt (and the punishment he unhesitantly administered) to the men who committed these crimes should show the fallacy of such a ridiculous accusation.
Topical comparisons can be found in his discussion on the importance of both corporations to maintain ethical practices and for the government to refrain from needless meddling in business matters. Futhermore he offers a reasoned dialectic on immigration, strongly supporting it but trenchantly articulating that establishing tight limits can be sensible rather than xenophobic.
It is also refreshing to know that the irresponsible peaceniks vociferously denouncing America's full-scale war on terrorism have had their equally harebrained doppelgangers throughout history. To all of these possibly well intentioned pacifists, Teddy Roosevelt admonishes "the true preachers of peace...never hesitate to choose righteous war when it is the only alternative to unrighteous peace."
Similarly regarding the current threat America faces, Mr. Roosevelt puts forth some comfort and assurance with an unforeseeable but apt reference to President Bush; "no man can lead a public career really worth leading, no man can act with rugged independence in serious crises, nor strike at great abuses, nor afford to make powerful and unscrupulous foes, if he is himself vulnerable in his private character." Every American should be thankful that the terrorists did not strike during the previous administration and also grateful the example of heroes like Theodore Roosevelt stands as everlasting inspiration to our nation's current and future leaders.
Bully!.......2000-01-29
Teddy is definitely an egomaniac, but he does write well. He also benefits from a good plot, his extrodanary life. Jolly good read.
The only way to really understand what made T.R. tick........1999-04-13
Outstanding! This book is a tome of philosophy, adventure, intrigue, and above all, inspiration. Notwithstanding these encomia however, the reader should beware before making a hegira into its noble pages that this autobiography does not follow the traditional structure of a "biography." Rather it can be described as being a compendium of T.R.'s philosophy on life. The true strength of its pages being found in how T.R.'s experiences and actions staunchly uphold and support his 'vigor of life' and probity which he so often addressed as being fundamental to all good Americans. Accordingly, I suggest a first-time reader of T.R. would be best served by initially reading a more "objective" biography of T.R. (I suggest Nathan Miller's Theodore Roosevelt, A Life) in order to become familiar with the events and time frames involved. This will allow the reader to more appreciate the nature, values and beliefs of the great man as told in this book by the ultimate authority, himself.
Along with being completely inspired by a man of such high moral values, the factual anecdotes related in this book comfort you in the knowledge that this hero practiced what he preached. In a speech by his own hand, T.R. embodied his own life; "The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;...who strives valiantly...who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."
T.R. was a naturalist, legislator, cowboy, businessman, soldier, author, conservationist, U.S. President, world explorer, and above all an inspirational "doer of deeds." This book eloquently tells the reader why he felt he needed to perform these deeds and what was going through his mind all the while.
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