Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks)
by Edmund Morris
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Read in January, 2005
My second favorite President. Reading this, you may be struck at how he would be skewered by the Left today. Like Reagan, he seemed to have a natural understanding of his age and the important issues that needed to be addressed. He did it with strength, courage, resolve, and charisma. This book does a great job of following him from the earliest hours of assuming office and then staring down some of his most important battles.
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By Edmund Morris, about TR's life (mostly his own and political, doesn't speak much to his family.
The man was shot before giving a speech when he was running for president on the progressive platform. He spoke for ninety minutes. Perhaps we can raise him from the dead to save the nation.
The man was shot before giving a speech when he was running for president on the progressive platform. He spoke for ninety minutes. Perhaps we can raise him from the dead to save the nation.
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Edmund Morris' best work on one of America's greatest Presidents. A book as bold as its subject.
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Read in March, 2003
Wow, follow up to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Excellent read.
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Quite simply one of the best books I've ever read.
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Read in October, 2008
recommended to Churpa by:
John Freeman, Rachel Mercerrecommends it for: history buffs, people who like to read biographies, anyone interested in America
Although it's not as gripping as the first volume The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt , Theodore Rex is a fascinating read. Nothing can quite match the first book's portrayal of the hilarious antics and habits of the young Roosevelt, but in the second book Morris tones down his adulation (always a welcome change) and creates a well-rounded, fascinating portrait of a man who is, without question, one of America's most entertaining presidents. Though I get the feeling Morris is of a slig...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Someone looking for an insight into Roosevelt or the events around the turn of the century.
What a fantastic read! I do admit a little bias, because the subject is probably my most admired in all of history. That being said, Edmund Morris does a great job in this book focusing just on the period of Roosevelt's life when he is in office. This is actually his second book on Roosevelt, but the first I have read.
Roosevelt is presented exactly as I think he should have been, a man of the soldier but a deep thinker and great intellect as well. One of the best anecdotes in the book talks...more
Roosevelt is presented exactly as I think he should have been, a man of the soldier but a deep thinker and great intellect as well. One of the best anecdotes in the book talks...more
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Read in October, 2006
Aside from some general knowledge of President Roosevelt, he being a Rough Rider, the Panama canal deal, "Walk softly and carry a big stick" etc, I had no idea how vastly powerful this man was, not only physically but mentally. Morris only covers the time Roosevelt was in office as president, but there is enough going on for those two terms to fill his book. Henry Adams said, after spending years annoyed, exasperated and in awe of T.R., "Roosevelt, more than any other living man ....more
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Read in September, 2007
Edmund Morris managed to do something pretty amazing - convey Teddy Roosevelt's time as President in a way that made it seem like you were watching a TV series. The book went by that fast. I had the same feeling as when I was watching the West Wing, only the book was set early in the last century.
Even if you have no interest in political history, I think Morris' books are worth checking out. He is a terrific writer, with some really exotic language.
It is also interesting to see so many...more
Even if you have no interest in political history, I think Morris' books are worth checking out. He is a terrific writer, with some really exotic language.
It is also interesting to see so many...more
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Read in January, 2004
The second of Morris' books on Theodore Roosevelt, this book was about his political rise and "reign." His powerful, often daunting personality pushed him places other men would never have tried to enter. His sense of social responsibility and his contempt for bullies (while he was one himself, often times) led the country in new social directions that had been completely vacant before his arrival on the political scene. He was raised in privilege but he was also committed to worki...more
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Read in December, 2007
Little facts that I learned from this book:
1. Roosevelt was sworn in as President of United States in Buffalo, New York.
2. That the Panama Canal might not exist today, because the other alternative location to building the canal was through Nicaragua.
3. That he had speech in Indianapolis at the Columbia Club. While in Indianapolis he got sick and was taken to St. Vincent Hospital.
4. He broker peace with Japan and Russia. He basically pointed out to Japan, that they are better m...more
1. Roosevelt was sworn in as President of United States in Buffalo, New York.
2. That the Panama Canal might not exist today, because the other alternative location to building the canal was through Nicaragua.
3. That he had speech in Indianapolis at the Columbia Club. While in Indianapolis he got sick and was taken to St. Vincent Hospital.
4. He broker peace with Japan and Russia. He basically pointed out to Japan, that they are better m...more
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Read in June, 2008
This is a great biography of Roosevelt, starting with the dramatic story of his ride down Mt. Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains on horseback and then on a train to Buffalo, where he was inaugurated as President just after McKinley was shot at the Pan-American Exhibition. The middle of the story gets a little muddled in the way many biographies do, by a slavish dedication to factual completeness. The beginning and end of the tale are much more shaped into a story. But even in the duller parts,...more
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Read in January, 2007
Edmund Morris follows the time period of Roosevelt's presidency here in great detail in Morris' follow-up to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt.
The writing and the research is every bit as good as in The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt but the subject matter is inherently drier. While The Rise of Teddy Roosevelt deals with TR's adventures as a young man, this book focuses on diplomacy and policy which is just not as exciting through no fault of the author or TR.
It is a great look at the history ...more
The writing and the research is every bit as good as in The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt but the subject matter is inherently drier. While The Rise of Teddy Roosevelt deals with TR's adventures as a young man, this book focuses on diplomacy and policy which is just not as exciting through no fault of the author or TR.
It is a great look at the history ...more
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Any book like this is incredible insight into the life of one of our greatest presidents. A born fighter, explorer and Naturalist. Great Guys book. You can almost smell the old spice.
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Not as good. Not as interesting, a typical sequel. Shame on Morris for tossing this off when he easily had the material and skill to deliver another masterpiece.
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The more I read about Teddy Roosevelt, the more in awe of him I am. He really stuck to his convictions--whether right or wrong--despite political pressures, despite what it would do to his popularity, etc, and because of that, his popularity actually rose. People knew that what policies he pursued were pursued because he thought it was the right course of action, not because whether he would profit. And this was during a time when political parties were ruled even more so than now backstage by a...more
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Fascinated by this man... Not as good as Morris' first bio on Teddy. This one bogged in his presidential policy but still a great look and well written.
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Read in August, 2004
This is the second volume in an intended three-part biography of Roosevelt. (I'm pretty sure the third volume hasn't been completed, at any rate.) Starting when Roosevelt took over as president when McKinley was shot, it then follows his eight-year presidency. A portrait of an incredibly energetic man emerges, focusing on the accomplishments and challenges of his two terms in office. Lots of juicy anecdotes of Roosevelt here, as well as personal observations culled from his voluminous corres...more
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Read in April, 2008
This, the second volume, was not quite as good as the first (The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt), through no fault of the author's. In the second half of his life Teddy spent more time pushing legislation through Congress than he did ranching in far-flung territories or charging hills in Cuba.
Still, if you're like me, your mild form of OCD won't allow you to stop halfway through the life of one of the greatest men Amerka has ever produced. As an added benefit, you'll finish the book armed with...more
Still, if you're like me, your mild form of OCD won't allow you to stop halfway through the life of one of the greatest men Amerka has ever produced. As an added benefit, you'll finish the book armed with...more
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