User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
“[Theodore] Roosevelt found himself on a great flat rock, gazing out…across the whole of New York State. Rolling fog obscured everything but nearer grass and shrubs, yet the sense of being the highest man for hundreds of miles around, cherished by all instinctive climbers, was no doubt pleasing to him. As if in further reward, the clouds unexpectedly parted, sunshine poured down on his head, and for a few minutes a world of trees and mountains and sparkling water lay all around, stretching to infinity…Here, if ever, was an opportunity to look around him at all these lower hills, and to think of the hills that he had himself climbed in life. Pilatus as a boy; Katahdin as an underclassmen; Chestnut Hill as a young lover; the Matterhorn in the ecstasy of honeymoon; the Big Horns in Wyoming, with their bugling elks; the Capitol Hill in Albany, that freezing January night when he first entered politics; Sagamore Hill, his own fertile fortress, full of his children and crowned with triumphant antlers; the Hill in Washington where he twice laid out John Wanamaker; that lowest yet loftiest of hills in Cuba, where like King Olaf on Smalsor Horn he planted his shield…Would he ever rise any higher…?” - Edmund Morris,
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Everyone, it seems, loves Theodore Roosevelt. He did so many things, and was so many things, in his fully-lived life, that there's an aspect of his personality that anyone – of any political persuasion – can latch onto.
A conservationist can support his love of nature, and the creation of the National Park system; a sportsman can support the fact that Teddy would be more than willing to go into those National Parks and shoot (and stuff) any animal that crossed his path. Someone interested in social justice can support the fact that he was a reformer (a friend of Jacob Riis), while a law-and-order type can support the fact that he was tough on crime (he was the NYC Police Commissioner, after all). Democrats like that he was a trust buster; Republicans can get behind his muscular foreign policy. If you look – even if you have to squint – there is something for everyone.
Once, he even delivered a speech after getting shot, because of course he did.
In
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Edmund Morris gives us the first entry in a trilogy on the overstuffed existence of the 26th President of the United States. It begins with Teddy’s birth in 1858, as a tiny fail baby, and ends with his accidental ascension to the presidency in 1901, following the assassination of William McKinley. Between those dates are enough ups, downs, triumphs, tragedies, and adventures for a couple lives. It begs the question as to whether Teddy can be encapsulated in three books, even big ones (my revised and updated paperback edition has 780 pages of text).
Morris certainly gives it a pretty good try.
Teddy's defining principle is neatly summed up in his famous speech on citizenship in a republic, which he gave at the Sorbonne. Often referred to as “the Man in the Arena” speech, Roosevelt extolled the triumph of daring greatly. While the words have arguably been diluted through repetition, it is a certainty that Roosevelt believed them with all his heart.
Teddy Roosevelt started as a sickly, asthmatic boy who liked insects and taxidermy. Before he was fifteen, he'd traveled the world: Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land. Realizing his physical weakness, he embarked on an ambitious exercise regimen. He attended Harvard
and liked to kill animals and stuff them, which I’m pretty sure is the definition of a renaissance man.
Morris chronicles all this and more in a way that places you into Theodore Roosevelt's life. Too many biographies maintain a certain formality that manifests itself as distance and lifelessness. These are works that seem content to tell you what happened, and in what order, and maybe even what it might have meant to the world. But few give you that sense of a living, breathing person, and the near-infinite nuances of character that entails.
At nearly 800 pages, Morris has the space to cover everything. Not just the obvious stuff, like the tragic death of Roosevelt's first wife, but the littler events that nevertheless shaped Teddy's life. For instance, Morris gets into the specifics of the rough-and-tumble world of New York politics, where Teddy started as a “political hack,” became an assemblyman, and eventually lost a bitter mayoral election. Somewhere in that span of years, he also found time to chase down some horse thieves outside his Dakota ranch (Morris helpfully provides a map of this escapade).
Surprisingly, one of Teddy's better-known exploits – his charges up Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill – are dealt with rather briefly. Which is not to say the passages weren't enjoyable, because they are. Morris is a vivid storyteller, up to the task of narrating his hero's journey.
Already [the hill:] was breathing fire at its crest, like a miniature volcano about to erupt, and spitting showers of Mausers. The bullets came whisking through the grass with vicious effectiveness as the Rough Riders crawled nearer. Every now and again a trooper would leap involuntarily into the air, then crumple into a nerveless heap. Roosevelt remained obstinately on horseback, determined to set an example of courage to his men.
Roosevelt won the Medal of Honor for his actions. Then he went back to America and became Governor of New York. And this was after he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy. It is all a bit exhausting.
With all these great deeds and derring-do, my favorite section of the book was on Roosevelt the writer. Morris does a commendable job analyzing Teddy's literary efforts, which include
The Naval War of 1812, a biography on Thomas Hart Benton, and his mammoth project,
The Winning of the West. It's fascinating to see how Teddy's writings foreshadowed his concept of America, which became important when he ascended to the presidency.
With any biography, there comes the question of bias, either pro or con. On the whole, I thought Morris’s treatment of Roosevelt was quite fair. Obviously, he loves the guy, but he avoids hyperbole and hagiography, and doesn’t get swept up in Roosevelt’s theatrics. This is no small feat, since Roosevelt was a skilled writer himself, and his stories got better with the telling. Morris does note some of Teddy's darker characteristics (such as questionable racial views), but he doesn't dwell long on them.
Morris started life as a writer, rather than a historian, and this is demonstrated with his craftsmanship. However, his literary flair occasionally got the better of him, such as his controversial decision to insert a fictional narrator in his authorized biography of Ronald Reagan. Morris – who died in May 2019 – does not attempt any such tricks here. While there are times he attempts to divine Teddy’s thoughts or feelings, this is a matter of fact-based interpretation, rather than wholesale creation. I’m not a Roosevelt expert by any means, but when I perused the endnotes, the sourcing looked top-notch (and the annotations rather enjoyable).
At this point, I have an admission: There’s always been something about Teddy Roosevelt that just bugs the hell out of me. This is not
hate, by any means, but more of a low-key irritation. Partly, his contradictions are so extreme as to feel premediated. It is the epitome of trying too hard. At times, I wanted to scream:
I get it! You like to herd cows while reading Tolstoy! You’ve made your point!. There is also too much of the moneyed dilettante about him, pugnaciously blustering on about how hard work achieves everything, never once recognizing that he was born into a life of privilege, wealth, country homes, and extended European holidays. In other words, while he’s telling people to pull themselves out of the bog, he ignores how he sprung into this world halfway up the ladder.
That said, it would have been easy for a man born of such privilege to rest on that privilege. He could have lived safe and comfortably, studying his bugs, reading his books, carefully treating his asthma. But that is not what he did. Instead, he lived a life in which he tried to experience the whole world, and in the process, changed it forever.
Rating: really liked it
I can't remember the last time I was so glad to have finished a book. Clearly, this is an award-winning work with lots of glowing reviews. From about the middle of the book on, it was a slog to get through. I won't say the book itself is bad, as it was meticulously researched and written. I think it's more a case of what I was expecting, and what I instead got from this that caused the problem.
What I expected:
1. I wanted to know TR as a human being: personal, professional, spiritual, social.
2. I wanted to understand his family life.
3. I wanted a flavor for the times in which he lived. I wanted to know what it was like to live in the mid-to-late 1800s in America.
4. I wanted to be entertained. I wanted to learn something. I wanted to be moved. What do all of us want when we pick up a book? This is one of our best known presidents. Ideally, I wanted to come away with a great respect and admiration for the subject.
What I got:
1. If you're familiar with the Seinfeld episode about the "minutia", then I could stop this review right here. The book started with so much promise. I thought I was getting everything in my list. I was so happy to have been recommended this book. This lasted for a couple hundred pages, when TR's young life was covered. I wasn't getting a good flavor for the times, but it seemed we could be headed in that direction. Wrong.
2. If you are a hunter and can picture yourself literally dancing with glee after shooting an animal (TR actually did this after shooting his first buffalo. I have to say, he lost a lot of my respect at that point. I can appreciate people who hunt for meat, even though I wouldn't do it unless I was actually starving. But to dance with glee after shooting an animal with a rifle? Takes it a bit far, sorry), then by all means read this book. You will get LOTS, and I do mean lots, of detail about every animal he shot: where the bullet went in, where it came out, in some cases where the bullet went after exiting, information in short that no one wants to know. Really, does even the most avid sportsman want to hear this? I ask you. There were whole chapters devoted to hunting details. Not kidding.
3. You will get chapter and verse and verse and verse about every job he took, and almost what he did every day at that job. I'm really not exaggerating. Details at the level that you'd be totally uninterested unless you were writing an assigned paper about TR. And even then, I don't think even the scholars are interested in that level of minutia.
4. The Spanish-American war was covered. I still don't understand why this happened and what was the real end result. Really? In a book with so much pointless detail, you can't give the reader a real understanding of this conflict? It would only take a paragraph or two. I'm not looking to write an article about it, but a good basic understanding would be nice in a book over 900 pages long. I came in with no understanding, so perhaps the intended audience already had an understanding of that war. Ok, fine. But we got tons and tons of totally pointless detail about hills, ridges. You talk about missing the forest for the trees. Classic case right here.
5. Once he marries, you get virtually nothing about his family life, how he relates to his wife and kids. Almost zilch. This was a big surprise to me.
So that about sums it up. Never write a sentence when a whole chapter (or multiple chapters) would do. If the details were interesting, fine. I expect lots of interesting detail in a book this long; in fact, that's what I'm looking for. Morris ran out of interesting a couple hundred pages in. I'd give this book one star but for the promising, engaging beginning.
Rating: really liked it
On completion:
This was an absolutely excellent book. It gave me everything I want from a biography. It chronologically relates all aspects of Theodore Roosevelt's life up to his presidency, after President McKinley's assassination in 1901. The next in the trilogy covers his years in the Presidency: Theodore Rex. I will very soon continue with that! I was worried that it might be repetitive, having years ago read (and loved)David McCullough's Mornings on Horseback. Such a worry was unnecessary. Edmund Morris' book went much further in depth. I completely know now Theodore's personality. I know what he would do and what he would most probably say in a given situation. This author had me laughing at some of the things Theodore had the nerve to say and do! His ego was rather inflated, to say the least, but that doesn't mean I didn't also find him highly worthy of admiration.
Gosh, I have never run into someone with so much energy. Absolutely never. Please read the comments left below this review if you want more details of some of the events in this book. I should say that not a word have I mentioned about Theodore's "Rough Riders" of 1898 and his role in the Spanish-American War. You simply must read the book to find out about that! It is engaging and amazing and funny! This author made some of the events of that war hilariously amusing! Is that possible? Yes!
I honestly cannot think of anything to complain about in relation to this book OR its narration by Mark Deakins. OK, only one thing, and it is so very minor that it is pitiful. The narrator would read the date July 1, 1900, as "July one 1900" rather than "July first 1900". THAT is the only puny complaint I can think of. I compared Deakins narration to the Theodore's own speeches found on Utube. Deakins perfectly bit off and spit out his words, as Theodore learned to do in his fight against asthma.
If you are in the least interested in Theodore Roosevelt, then read
this book.....even if it is very long! I will soon be reviewing the next in the trilogy to see if it too is as amusing and interesting and engaging as this one as proved to be! In fact you do not even have to be interested in reading about presidents to choose this book. He is an amazing person. I have never run across someone like this.
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I have listened to about 3/4 of the book. I am thoroughly enjoying it. By that I mean sometimes I feel like clobbering Theodore and then later I want to hug him. He has qualities that are m-a-g-n-i-f-i-c-e-n-t. I like that this author has shown me both sides to such a degree that I hate him and love him. In the comments below this review I have gone into details. If you are looking for more details, please check them out there. Really good book and really good narration by Mark Deakins. Yes, this is long, over 26 hours and only the first of a trilogy, but well worth every minute.
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My first impressions:
Once you get beyond the prologue, this book grabs your attention. I do understand that the purpose of the prologue is to show the outstanding characteristics of the man, but it throws in names and details that have no depth. That is impossible in a prologue; that is why you are reading the book, and this is the first of a trilogy on Theodore Roosevelt. The next, Theodore Rex, covers his two terms as president. Colonel Roosevelt concludes his life story.
What you immediately draw from the prologue is the energy of the man. In 1907 in the White House he shook hands with all those invited to say: “Happy New Year!” Quickly, at the speed of 50 per minute. (Skeptical me….is that possible?) He set a record with this, no one else for a century shook hands so quickly and with so many. But what does this says about him? Think about it. What we immediately grasp from the prologue and then the following chapters on his youth is how the hyperactive youth develops into a man of strength and vitality. From a very young age he has serious bouts of asthma. His father takes him aside and discusses his physical disability. Theodore declares that he will conquer his body! “He will make his body.” His fight for survival shaped him and it strengthened him; it made him a fighter.
From the very first chapters we see the man who came to be a conservationist. He started his “Roosevelt Museum of Natural History”, to the disgust of family and servants. Smelly! He learned taxidermy. He had is head in a book, often standing on one leg that gave him the pose of a flamingo. He scientifically observes the world around him, and what delight he discovers when he finds that with glasses he can actually
see the world around him. He had no idea the world could be so sharp. He wrote in a diary. He wrote letters. Many, many remain and they reveal his personality, his inborn humor. In a letter to an Aunt when he is on tour in Egypt he remarks, “I may as well mention that the dress of the inhabitants up to ten years of age is
nothing! After that they put on a shirt descended from some remote ancestor and never take it off until their death.” He did like Egypt. He now had glasses and he scientifically observes and records all that he sees of the fauna. The birds, so many birds! But he is still an ordinary boy. He learns to box, to defend himself vis-à-vis peers. He groans over his father dragging them all off for a year in Europe.
How Theodore views his own illness is reflected in this quote from a letter sent to his father when he was a young teenager, alone with two siblings in Dresden. (His father thought it important to encourage his children’s independence.) Here are the lines:
I am at present suffering from a very slight attack of asthma. However, it is but a small attack, and except for the fact that I cannot speak without blowing up like an abridged edition of a hippopotamus, it does not inconvenience me much. We are now studying hard. Excuse my writing; my asthma has made my hand tremble awfully. (chapter 2)
He views even himself with humor. The importance of books, his interest in fauna, his asthma and his staunch character are all evident in these lines.
The prologue was too stuffed, although I do understand its purpose, but then the book takes off with delightful details of Theodore’s youth, the characteristics he was born with and the events that shaped him. This book starts well. I hope it continues so. I just had to tell someone.
Rating: really liked it
I had to give this book 5 stars because frankly, it is one of the finest biographies I have ever read. It is a narrative of TR's life told by a writer who is obviously one of the presidents biggest fans. That said, Morris does not allow his admiration and respect for his subject to cloud his judgment. When he determines that TR got it wrong, he says so. If there is one criticism that I have it is that Edith and TR's relationship is not really dealt with in any meaningful way. I would like to have known what she thought of her husbands sometimes wild ideas, whether he discussed them with her, how much credence he gave to her opinion. As I said, I had to award the book five stars because of the brilliant insightful way it was researched and written but I do feel that Morris let himself and his readers down by not delving into Edith's personality and their marriage. If we are to get a full story of the man, we need to know about the woman behind him. If I could award the book 4 1/2 stars I would have.
Rating: really liked it
TED OF ALL TRADES, MASTER OF ALL
Edmund Morris ought to consider this new title for his next revised edition of this jam-packed book, so full of information and anecdotes that the reader would surely agree to the change a short time into the literary adventure. As thorough as the beginning of this biography might be, its ease of reading entices many who might otherwise shy away from so long a tome.
As I seek to expand my knowledge of some key historical figures, I chose to tackle the three volume Morris biography of Theodore Roosevelt. I sought not only to learn from what Morris garnered in his extensive research, but also to examine some of the key themes on offer, drawing threads throughout to see how Roosevelt's life developed and the way in which it was captured. Morris takes the reader through a thorough examination of the man from many facets, allowing those who digest the tales to attain a multi-dimensional picture of the man known to many a Teddy. Through his presentation of a few themes--the ongoing thirst for knowledge, dedication to family, and a passion for politics--Morris depicts Roosevelt as both a man of many complexities and one who is closely tied to those around him, and succeeds in selling this idea to the author in this first tome.
The first Volume, reviewed here, encompasses the life of Theodore Roosevelt from his birth in 1858 through to 1901. Morris lays the groundwork of the first theme, thirst for knowledge, early and often, by depicting young Teddy as an avid reader and naturalist whose young life was shaped by parents able to offer him many extravagances due to their wealth, including European vacations and tutored study. Young Roosevelt quenched this thirst by examining much around him and writing his own versions of tomes and reports, some of which he presented to family members while others he kept for himself. As he grew older and left home for Harvard, Roosevelt continued to dedicate himself to his studies, but also opened his mind to social clubs and the interaction with many of those around him, learning both from books and the lives of his acquaintances. His continual interest in new and exciting things led him to invest in cattle herds in the Wild West and piqued his interest enough to run for (and win a seat in) the New York State Assembly. There, Roosevelt's social demeanour opened new doors as he sought to expand his knowledge and permitted his climb to positions of power swiftly and with ease. With the partisan nature of politics and the Ward bosses always confounded him, Roosevelt used what he knew and his ever-present desire to tackle new challenges to wrestle with the political beast from a young age. He was, as Morris explores in one poignant chapter, the youngest candidate for Mayor of New York at the time and had no qualms running in this election against well-founded opponents.
Morris also explores a dedication to family, which stemmed from Roosevelt's early years. A sickly child, weighed down with asthma and other ailments, the young Roosevelt remained bedridden for a time. This sedentary life surely stoked the fires of the aforementioned knowledge seeking, but also helped Teddy develop a strong foundational interest in family. As a young man, when he met and married young Alice Lee, Roosevelt dedicated himself to his bride and sought to keep her abreast of his activities. As with many politicians (even today), the need for a dutiful wife who allows a husband to also delve into the political world forced Lee to accept Teddy's busy life. Teddy's life took on a new direction when Alice announced she was with child, forcing the young Roosevelt to prepare for the busy life of fatherhood. When, two days after the birth of his daughter, Roosevelt suffered the double inequity of Alice's death as well as that of his mother, Roosevelt entered a slump that no past familial foundation could cure. Morris explores how Roosevelt dedicated himself to new adventures, perhaps to bury the pain, in hopes of finding himself anew. An old flame, Edith Carow, returned to his life and soon they rekindle the love they shared, helping to pull Roosevelt from his slump. Married for a second time, Roosevelt soon becomes a father numerous times over and this rejuvenation helps him become the family man he strove to become, matching Theodore Roosevelt Senior (eventually 'the first' after Edith gives birth to a son). While the focus shifts away from family, Morris returns to the topic on occasion, perhaps to assure the reader that Roosevelt is not alone on this adventure, even if his family was not central in the numerous narrated activities.
As with many, the allure of politics was too strong for Roosevelt to ignore. Seeing its manifestation at an early age, Roosevelt watched his father negotiate through some of New York City's power brokers and how the game was played, its rule constantly changing. Winning office at a young age, Roosevelt sought to effect change of his own with his quick wit and attention to detail. While not always successful in his political ventures, he made a name for himself and did persuade many to follow his lead. Morris explains that Roosevelt stepped out of his father's shadow and forged new ground, all in an attempt to make a name for himself and better represent those within the GOP with strong ideas and reformist ways. His desire to look for new ways to tackle old issues helped develop his reform ideological stance, which was not always embraced openly by New Yorkers, voters and politicians alike. Yet, as Morris explores, these views never stopped gaining momentum and Roosevelt soon became a man to watch and a king maker in key state and national campaigns. As head of the Civil Service Commission under President Harrison, Roosevelt cut his teeth on the numerous issues of patronage riddling the federal bureaucracy. Butting heads with many in positions of power, Roosevelt forges ahead with his reform ideas and, oddly enough, is able to outlast the wave away from Harrison's obliteration after one term in office and stays on to serve Grover Cleveland, a quasi-ally from his time as an assemblyman. Taking his reform ideas to a position on the NYPD, Roosevelt becomes a feared man by beat cops and locals alike. When President McKinley calls for his return to the upper echelon of the federal bureaucracy, Roosevelt relishes the chance, offered Assistant Secretary of the Navy. There, he helps formulate key policy on ridding Spain of its imperial gems (namely Cuba and the Philippines), while flexing the muscle of the American military. Morris posits all this helped the United States draw a line in the sand and exemplify its interest in playing a role as a hegemonic power. All this in an effort for Morris to depict Roosevelt as a political animal, building a stronger foundation as the path to the White House becomes a little clearer. The final chapter of the volume focuses on this struggle to give up the reins of power in Albany and consider playing McKinley's running-mate in the 1900 election. Great storytelling by Morris depicts the frantic struggle of the Party, the potential candidate, and the delegates at the Convention. When Roosevelt agrees and eventually becomes VP, his rise to power, though deemed neutered, is only beginning.
Of note, it is highly amusing to see what might have been the first example of the United States backing a group who would eventually go on to seek its annihilation. Cuba, freed from Spanish control, would one day rise up and seek to push the United States out of its life, under the well-known dictator, Fidel Castro. One need only say bin Laden and Hussein to draw the other two parallels, both of which entangled the US Military in useless wars. Alas, two ranchers at the foundation... need I say more?
In this opening volume, one cannot offer enough kudos to Mr. Morris for his excellent work. I am eager to see where this is going and what lies in store for the reader and those figures who play a key role in Theodore Roosevelt's life.
Kudos, Mr. Morris, for a sobering and highly-exciting first volume of this biography!
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Rating: really liked it
In this superbly written first volume of three, Morris portrays a man of unbelievable fortitude, accomplishment and unparalleled scope. Theodore Roosevelt’s incredibly incisive mind is coupled with endless energy. He is anything he wants to be: an avid outdoorsman, a skillful boxer, an accomplished hunter, a cattle rancher, a Harvard phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate, a devouring reader of every possible subject, an author of highly regarded books on topics as diverse as naval warfare and ornithology, a remarkable politician and reformer, a fearless war hero, and last but not least a loving husband and father with scrupulous moral values. And he is all this before becoming President at the age of forty-two. Who today could we offer for comparison? I can’t wait to start the second volume.
Rating: really liked it
Written Oct. 2014, minor revisions 19 Nov. 2017 - This 8 disc abridged audio version of the book makes me very sorry that this is only an abridged version, since I noticed many significant gaps that I want to know more about:
1. Father's family history - just how wealthy were the Roosevelts? Where did the money come from?
2. Mother's family history - how important were the slaves in the family? What happened to the family and the slaves during the civil war? How did her mother (Teddy's maternal grandmother) die at the end of (or just after?) the war? What about the Sherman's army march looting of the family estate (near Atlanta?)? What about her brothers (Teddy's uncles) who escaped to England (after the war?)?
3. What did his mother do during the civil war, living in NYC but being a "southern belle" through and through? Was she voluble or silent in her southern pride and politics?
4. What are the details of why Theodore Sr. (Teddy's father) "left the house" at the beginning of the civil war and worked in Washington. Could it have had something to do with his wife's southern allegiances? Where did he work in DC? Doing what? Morris said he was not political, but working in Washington sure sounds political to me.
5. What were the "sutler" arrangements that made their prices so high? Were they given exclusive rights (monopolies) to provide goods (at any price) to certain military posts? Were the sutlers actually at fault or was the government system of awarding monopolies the fault? Was the problem of the troops drinking, and spending any amount necessary to get some relief, caused by the sutlers, as Morris seems to claim, or was it the horrible wartime conditions and the very nature of the mission of and conditions the troops had to live in?
6. What about the connection between Theodore Sr. paying for another man to take his place in the war, Teddy's shame in this act of his father and his own possible reaction of exhibiting a "desperate drive to wage war."
7. What exactly did he study in "Political Economy" at Harvard that gave him such skewed views of private voluntary markets vs coercive government controls? For example, Disc 2 Track 4 "down with caveat emptor" was his rallying cry. How the heck did he get to that position, and WHY???
8. Who were the teachers and writers/thinkers who captivated his mind into the coercive "progressive" (Marxist/Socialist) policies that he championed and thought so superior for people's "good" over their own freedom?
These questions and many more are making this "read" (listen, actually) quite frustrating.
The style or slant of the book is so fawning on TR that I am dubious of the author's objectivity, or understanding of the importance and meaning of some of the subjects I mentioned above. But since this is only an abridged book version, I cannot pass final judgement.
I don't know whether to love or hate this book. The author is obviously tremendously taken by the subject, and that is frightening. But the portrait revealing TR's lust for war, his overweening arrogance, his shady deals and contradictions are all very valuable to know. Just how scary this man TR was and what a powerful influence he had on American thought and politics is something to consider. His actions and beliefs are such a harbinger of the:
- anti-capitalist,
- anti property rights,
- anti-rule of law and limited government
attacks on ideals that made this country truly great. The greatness that the ideals made of America are such a contrast to the "greatness" that TR strove for:
- highly government regulated economy,
- arbitrary government and mob controls over property,
- strong executives controlling government, preferably with himself in charge, vs. more representative control, and decentralized power, and
- expansion of government power and no interest in keeping it limited.
One of the very few pragmatic policies TR championed that seemed unalterably GOOD was when he was NYC Police Commissioner. He was faced with the issue of the Sunday blue laws - government decrees that closed bars on Sundays - and whether to enforce them or not, or to continue in their uneven and corruption-inducing enforcement. He chose to enforce them vigorously, across the board, in order to shine a clear light on how awful they were and thereby push people to call for repeal. His efforts were not effective in gaining repeal, but they did eliminate (for a time) the endemic corruption that came out of unequal enforcement and bribes/protection money paid to police.
On the overall negative side of the portrait of TR, and gosh, I wish I could have taken better notes, but listening while driving did not allow that, here is a sampling of the outrageous statements I was able to note:
Disc3 Track 13 - TR goes on a long trip out west, just after his wife and mother died almost at the same time, leaving his baby daughter in the care of his sister. This is but one note on the constant, gaping hole in the (abridged) book (recording) regarding TR's lack of concern with his closest family - wife and kids. Leading up to his first wife's and mother's deaths, Roosevelt was off in Albany working for some legislation. Can you imagine the insensitivity, the self-centeredness, the lack of decent concern for those one supposedly loves best, to consciously go away from them in their greatest time of need, just to try to pass some legislation? The amount of time that TR was with his wife during her pregnancy with his first daughter was shockingly low. The time he was away from his daughter after his wife died was outrageously high. Can you imagine being his daughter and growing up with him never once telling you about your mother, or him being away so often, especially during that first and second year?
The contrast in portraits of domestic lives between this book and McCullough's magisterial biography of John Adams is incredibly enlightening. The difference between Roosevelt's concerns for his wives and kids and Adams' should be a warning to anyone who objectively compares their governing philosophies too.
The efforts Adams made to keep America out of war, before the revolution and after, are starkly at odds with the philosophy and actions of Roosevelt's war-mongering machinations.
Disc 4, Track 14 - "A superior being [TR] who did not make them [common men] feel inferior."
Disc 4, track 6 or 7 - recounts his reading of Alfred Thayer Mahan's "Influence of Sea Power on History" and his subsequent deep friendship and alliance with this war hawk. VERY revealing and the foreshadowing of his pro-war schemes are ominous.
Disc. 6 - Pretty clear generally throughout the book, but stated perfectly here was his goal: to be part of the "governing class."
TR's racist and downright vile contempt for native Americans is painted pretty clearly, but then tempered by some statements that he really had no problem with their rising to participate on merit. But merit was handicapped so much by the governmental policies that crippled the native Americans with paternalistic socialism, that it takes almost miracles for merit to matter.
Last couple discs dealt with his simply disgusting manipulations to get the US into war with the Spanish. The strings he had to pull to get the Assistant Sec. of the Navy post, then his manipulations of the Sec. of the Navy while in that post, culminating in his pushing the likewise hawkish Commander Dewey to position the US fleet for takeover of the Spanish Philippines are classic warlike/dictatorial/Imperialistic type behavior. This was not proud, peace-loving American behavior.
Disc 8 (last) Track 2 gave the best and most ominous quote. TR is on the stump for the Vice Presidency with one of his best Rough Riders' sergeant's Buck Taylor, who delivered to a crowd the biggest faux pas of the campaign about his commander: "he led us up San Juan hill, like sheep to the slaughter, and so he will lead you." This was at Port Jervis and it apparently "delighted the crowd and did me nothing but good." Apparently the American people who voted for him had no problem giving him the "supreme power he craved" and themselves being considered "sheep for the slaughter." (Disc. 8 Track 7)
Apparently the Americans who have elected other similar dictatorial types, are not a new breed.
2021-01-18 - more clarification edits made.
Rating: really liked it
This is one of the great biographies of all time, certainly the greatest I have ever read. Thus it is also the greatest presidential biography I have ever read, and I've read nearly thirty such volumes. This is the first volume of Edmund Morris's three-volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, covering the years from his birth to the moment his presidency began. Never have I read such a thoroughly researched, minutely detailed, yet stirring and compelling biography. This is a book that seems to overlook nothing, yet it propels the reader like a great novel. It is a masterful, unforgettable achievement, one which leaves me hungry for the second and third volumes.
Rating: really liked it
“It is not often that a man can make opportunities for himself. But he can put himself in such shape that when or if the opportunities come he is ready to take advantage of them.”It was probably unfair to read this so soon after Ron Chernow's Grant, which is still the best biography I've read to date.
Morris does an exceptional job—however—this book is filled with rather mundane minutia and not as much heart or character as I was hoping for. Maybe I just like an underdog story (Grant) more than a born into wealth, power and privilege memoir.
Still, Roosevelt's transformation from a sickly, scrawny science nerd to powerful politician was impressively delineated.
This 1980 Pulitzer Prize winner is meaty and informative, if a tad dry in spots. Looking forward to reading Theodore Rex and Colonel Roosevelt in the future.
——————
My favorite aspect of Roosevelt was his voracious appetite for literature. The following quote from Teddy Roosevelt's 10 Rules for Reading inspired me to pick up this book:
"He would read a book before breakfast every day, and depending on his schedule, another two or three in the evening (he was a speed reader extraordinaire). By his own estimates he read tens of thousands of books over the course of his lifetime."“The president manages to get through one book a day even when he is busy. Owen Wister has lent him a book shortly before a full evening’s entertainment at the white house, and been astonished to hear a complete review of it over breakfast. “Somewhere between six one evening and eight-thirty next morning, beside his dressing and his dinner and his guests and his sleep, he had read a volume of three-hundred-and-odd pages, and missed nothing of significance that it contained.”— Edmund Morris,
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Rating: really liked it
Having been invited by Nate and Robyn Gregory to spend two weeks with them in NW Wisconsin and having had several prior visits to the nearby town, I brought up two books for scholarly review and trusted to the Hayward animal welfare resale shop for supplementary pleasure reading. There I picked up this text and a couple of birthday gifts for a niece, expecting to make a start while still up in the north woods, but to finish it at home.
In fact, the text was so engrossing that I finished it in a few days. Having just read another biography of the young Roosevelt, Mornings on Horseback, I had expected to be a bit bored by repetition. This was not the case. Even moreso than the other book, The Rise represents its subject as a distinctive, forceful personality--engaging yet incredible.
It also covers a longer span, taking Roosevelt up to his becoming President.
For me, Theodore Roosevelt is somewhat enigmatic. He was at once an aristocratic advocate for the American commonweal and a jingoistic advocate of imperialist adventurism. He was a prodigious hunter, the slayer of thousands and tens of thousands, and an early conservationist. He defended some of the interests of the domestic working class, of women and of children, but he was proud of having personally killed at least one Spanish soldier in the US invasion of Cuba, little concerned for the dubious pretext for the invasion or for the person and relations of the poor man he slayed. In this regard one is reminded of the true believers as regards our recent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq--Roosevelt being exceptional in that he was a blueblood politician who actually participated at some risk in the foreign policy he advocated.
Rating: really liked it
Read like an adventure story. What an interesting man Teddy was.
Rating: really liked it
Theodore Roosevelt is one of our most admired presidents. It seems that regardless of one's political viewpoints there is something about him that one can admire. There is a laundry list: Liberals, conservatives, gun-owners, hunters, conservationists, doves, hawks, capitalists, socialists, racists. You name the cause or special interest and it seems that Theodore Roosevelt covered it -a true Renaissance Man . Wait a minute what was that last thing, racists? Yes I included racists in that list. Theodore Roosevelt, at least in his younger days, was not above resorting to racism to score political points with voters. It was the late nineteenth century and racism was institutionalized ( many schools, scientists and churches taught that the white "race" was the superior race and meant to be in charge courtesy of both nature and God) and the law of the land. It should come as no surprise that Theodore Roosevelt ,especially in his youth, was as much a product of his time and place as the rest of us. He was only Human after all.
I started off my review of Edmund Morris's first installment with that observation to make a point. Edmund Morris wrote an honest biography about "Teddy". He did not write a starry eyed glossy account about the man nor did he create an assassination piece about the 26th president of the United States. Morris wrote an honest account that shows Theodore Roosevelt in both his glory as well as his more sordid moments. None of us can claim to be perfect and free of sin. Roosevelt is certainly no exception and Morris would have done no service to the man if he had written a biography that was incapable of acknowledging that he was complicated.
I have read Morris's trilogy in a very strange order. I started with "Theodore Rex" then preceeded to "Colonel Roosevelt" and finally concluded with "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt". It's taken me nine years to read the set (it took Morris almost thirty years to write the books) and I intentionally did not rush through them. When I started I was nine years younger (duh) and still somewhat hero worshiped Roosevelt. But,as the years have gone by, I've matured and my attitudes have changed. I'm now forty-eight and I'm a (little) more realistic about how flawed we Humans are. Instead of ignoring the weaknesses of those I care about, or getting angry at them for having flaws, I've realized that they are better served when they're removed from the pedastal.
Edmund Morris's books are marvelous reads. They are dense, but they never bore. Heavily researched and supported with both numerous photos and maps (when applicable) I completed them with the feeling that I finally had a better understanding of not only Roosevelt, but America. I no longer hero worship because I understand that Roosevelt was driven by energies that simply don't exist in me. He was also wealthy and it is easier to be a world shaker when one's bank account is fat. The one thing that Morris shows is that Roosevelt
believed in himself and everything that he set out to do. Like many who are cut from the same cloth he could be selfish, self-centered, egotistical and cruel (strange how those seem to be almost required for the "movers and shakers"), but also generous (to a fault), kind and possessing of an iron willpower that far exceeds what I have. I also believe that Roosevelt was bi-polar and by sheer willpower was (more or less) able to moderate it by always pursuing three dozen goals at the same time. Morris does an excellent job documenting all these aspects and others in his books. They are both very personal and provide a look at the history of the United States during his lifetime.
If planning to read Morris's trilogy I recommend taking your time. Perhaps a couple of years. As I observed earlier he is an effective writer and researcher, but you will not blow through his books. This is not a bad thing. Some genres are better served by the slow approach. In the end I'm grateful that I took my time. It was time well spent and I'll be holding onto them. I no longer hero worship Theodore Roosevelt. I feel that I have a better understanding of him,warts and all, and that is actually better. None of us should be remembered in such simplistic terms.
Rating: really liked it
Teddy Roosevelt ranks among the most colorful characters in American history. We all have heard of the charge of Roosevelt's Raiders up San Juan Hill. But who knows that Teddy once captured a horse thief? Who knows that Roosevelt was a prolific writer, and somewhat of an expert scientist? Teddy ranks alongside characters such as Alexander the Great, George Armstong Custer and Kit Carson as people one wonders, "How did they do so much in a single life?"
Edmund Morris is one of the best writers of historical non-fiction that I have come across, and I highly recommend this book, and its companion volume, "Theodore Rex", to readers.
Rating: really liked it
It took quite a while to get through this one. I put it aside for a long while (twice) just to take a breather. Not because it's terrible; it's just so much information, and so detailed that it is at times difficult to absorb, and difficult to read at length in one sitting. Definitely a Sunday morning book, not a bedtime book during the work week. Unless you have insomnia. I don't mean that it poorly written, its just dense. Which is fine when reading about Teddy's extraordinary youth, his exploits out in the Dakota Territory or leading the charge up San Juan Hill. Not so engaging when he's the NYC Police Commissioner or the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Roosevelt is probably one of the greatest, most ambitious and most interesting Americans of all time. His entire life, and his boundless energy is astounding. The author is so enamored that he believes that literally everything Teddy did deserves mention. This lengthy tome is only the first of three massive volumes, and takes us only up to 1901 as he assumes the role of Vice President. I'm sure there are other books out there that offer a more easily digestible overview. This book is for those that want to take the deep dive.
Rating: really liked it
Better read this before it is removed from circulation.
Or thrown on a pryor .
