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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Theodore Roosevelt #1)

by Edmund Morris

4.41 · rating details · 3,443 ratings · 441 reviews

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.

Paperback, 780 pages

Published November 24th 2010 by Modern Library (first published 1979)

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Community Reviews

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Oct 18, 2007

Marcel rated 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...more

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Sep 11, 2011

Dick Gullickson rated it

It's hard to separate my admiration for Theodore Roosevelt from my appreciation for Edmund Morris's great biography. Theodore is an unexpectedly remarkable and fascinating individual. Edmund paints a compelling picture of Teddy with his boyish enthusiasms, boundless energy, magnetic personality, odd speaking style (at least for much of his early career), and top flight intellect. Roosevelt was a committed amateur biologist who wrote one of his many books on the big game animals of the west. ...more

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Sep 20, 2011

Erik Graff rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Americans

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: biography

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 finis...more

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Apr 05, 2008

Mary Mason rated it

I'm a fiction reader, mostly; this was one of the efforts I made at reading some non-fiction after hearing Edmund Morris in an interview on a talk radio station. He was immensely impressive--so well spoken, so literate, so knowledgeable about, it seemed, nearly everything.

The book was as good as I had hoped, full of wonderful detail of Theodore Roosevelt's personal life. This first of (3?) books by Morris on Roosevelt was on his formative years--the love of his parents, the love of ...more

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Mar 30, 2008

rmn rated it

Shelves: non-fiction-history, biography

It is hard to believe this is not fiction. Roosevelt led an amazing childhood and early life, one that is not to be believed.

Aided by Morris' lively writing, this book follows TR from birth until just before he becomes President. It is not only a great picture of the precocious, intellectual, and multi-talented Roosevelt, but a good look at what America was like in the late 1800s and delves into alot of history that gets glossed over in school.

While this is the first bo...more

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Jan 10, 2008

Bethany rated it

Shelves: heartily-recommended, non-fiction, biography, historical, politics, united-states-and-canada

This book has been on my to-read list for a very long time, largely because it has so many pages and the content is incredibly dense. I finally buckled down and read it; I am immensely glad that I did. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is a masterpiece of a biography that - though long - is never tedious. Even as larger-than-life as Roosevelt is, Morris manages to express these characteristics while maintaining Roosevelt’s humanity. I liked Roosevelt before I read this book, and now I must conf...more

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Feb 26, 2008

Bud rated it

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt is an outstanding biography written about one of America’s most unique personalities. As the name suggests, this is written about TR’s early life and the experiences that shaped the man.

As a child, Theodore Roosevelt overcame early physical aliments to become a man who had incredible stamina and a strong constitution.

And throughout the rest of the book, Morris portrays a man largely unaffected by his wealth who developed a voracious app...more

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Feb 25, 2008

Adrienne rated it

I always like the "rise of" biographies because that's where I feel I am in my life. I had always turned up my nose at Teddy Roosevelt but after reading this I really admire him as a great man who made the most of his life. He coped with horrible tragedy (wife and mother died within 24 hours of each other). I don't particularly agree with his politics (he didn't like Jefferson, and leaned toward the progressive/liberal side of the spectrum) but I still am grateful that he became our pr...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Jim Leffert rated it

This Pulitzer Prize winning classic initial volume of a biographical trilogy weighs in at 780 pages. Morris, especially in the beginning sections, writes with such energy and color that he makes Stacy Schiff seem staid by comparison. A wealth of journalistic detail contributes to the liveliness and immediacy of the story. If you like American history, read it!

Morris proves his point that Roosevelt merits this treatment. Cowboy, historian, naturalist, politician, war hero—he lived enoug...moreThis Pulitzer Prize winning classic initial volume of a biographical trilogy weighs in at 780 pages. Morris, especially in the beginning sections, writes with such energy and color that he makes Stacy Schiff seem staid by comparison. A wealth of journalistic detail contributes to the liveliness and immediacy of the story. If you like American history, read it!

Morris proves his point that Roosevelt merits this treatment. Cowboy, historian, naturalist, politician, war hero—he lived enough life to be five separate people and the story of his first 43 years provides a window on several major aspects of American history during the second half of the 19th century.

For example, we learn about undergraduate life at Harvard in the 1870’s, the settlement and development of the South Dakota badlands, the shenanigans at the State House in Albany (nothing has changed there since the 1880’s), ward politics in Manhattan, and military strategy during the Spanish American War. Roosevelt was not just the hero of the Battle for San Juan Hill. During the months leading up to the war, Roosevelt, as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, made the decisions that put the relatively somnolent U.S. military on a war footing. He accomplished this despite the McKinley administration’s deep reluctance to go down that path.

We also learn about the unexpected consequences of turns in Roosevelt’s path. Roosevelt was propelled to the Vice Presidency in 1901 largely because an alliance of corporate interests and the political machine in New York urgently wanted him out of the state and dry-docked as Vice President. Roosevelt desperately wanted another term as governor. All the way to the convention, he fought the idea of running for this “do nothing” position in Washington. Mark Hanna, McKinley’s long time campaign manager, detested Roosevelt and warned “Don’t you all realize that there’s only one life between this madman and the Presidency?” Six months after the inauguration, with McKinley’s assassination, Roosevelt became President.

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Jan 10, 2012

Elf M. rated it

Edmund Morris's The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt was recommended to me by someone who was head-deep into something called "men's studies," deliberately named by analogy to "women's studies." He told me that Roosevelt was an example of a truly manly man, one that should be emulated by all right-thinking men.

I don't know that I agree with that. If Edmund Morris is to be believed, Roosevelt approached some apotheosis of human willpower, preternaturally blessed from birth...moreEdmund Morris's The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt was recommended to me by someone who was head-deep into something called "men's studies," deliberately named by analogy to "women's studies." He told me that Roosevelt was an example of a truly manly man, one that should be emulated by all right-thinking men.

I don't know that I agree with that. If Edmund Morris is to be believed, Roosevelt approached some apotheosis of human willpower, preternaturally blessed from birth with powers that destined him for a position of great authority. The book follows Roosevelt from his birth, through the death of his father and his first wife, to his strange adventures in the Dakota badlands, all the way up to his being Governor of New York and finally President of the United States.

Roosevelt was born a sickly child with severe asthma and a very small frame. His father doted on him to keep him alive, and when he was young bought Teddy a complete gymnasium in the basement, instructing the young man that he must "build his own body to support the mind within." He was an obsessive dilettante, studying everything that came his way enough to satisfy his curiousity that he could master it. Only two things really sparked his life-long interest, though: the natural sciences, and politics. Roosevelt kept at both throughout his career, spinning off a long series of important books about American History and North American wildlife, as well as leaving behind an impressive body of work in a variety of government roles before becoming President of the United States.

It's hard to encapsulate one man's life. The book is long-- 700 pages before the end notes! But it's a worthwhile life. You would exhaust yourself trying to emulate Roosevelt. And while it's admirable to be faithful to one's precepts and positions, Roosevelt's romantic priggishness is knee-jerk and not worthy of direct emulation; his morals make no room for human relationships that aren't also of a type sanctified by the Rick Santorum types of this world. That aside, though, Roosevelt deserves to be read, and so does his biography.(less)

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Nov 10, 2011

***Dave Hill rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook

(Original review Dec 2006 http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2006/12/12/... )

Overall 4/5
Story 4/5
Re-Readability 3/5
Audio 4/5

This audio adaptation (abridged, but still weighing in at a dozen discs or so) of Morris’ Pullitzer Prize-winning biography, is a solid and entertaining, if not overly-illuminating chronology of TR’s childhood through his brief vice-presidency, leaving off just as McKinley dies from an assassination. It covers this broad and interesting subject...more(Original review Dec 2006 http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2006/12/12/... )

Overall 4/5
Story 4/5
Re-Readability 3/5
Audio 4/5

This audio adaptation (abridged, but still weighing in at a dozen discs or so) of Morris’ Pullitzer Prize-winning biography, is a solid and entertaining, if not overly-illuminating chronology of TR’s childhood through his brief vice-presidency, leaving off just as McKinley dies from an assassination. It covers this broad and interesting subject with enthusiasm and extensive use of the diaries and letters of TR (and some of his family and associates), but in the end the subject remains a big-grinning bespectacled icon of American history. I learned more about TR’s life, but not as much as I’d like about him.

Part of that is because TR was, for all his outgoing energy, a very private man. There were subjects (such as the death of his first wife) that he never talked or wrote about, even to acknowledge they had happened. He was zealous in building himself from a frail, distracted poindexter of a child into an ideal man, for both the public and his own self-image — rough and tumble as a westerner and “Rough Rider,” yet learned and of unimpeachable ethics. As a result, much of what can be gleaned, even from primary sources, is that ideal image. It wasn’t just about reputation, though that was clearly of far more importance to TR than he would admit, but about how he saw himself, reflected in others’ eyes and his own.

TR, in this work, lives up to that ideal — a Man’s Man, a Man of Virtue — remarkably well. If still a man of his times — his description of the Indians, Cubans, Spaniards, and the glories of hunting and war, for example, would all be highly impolitic today — he also served as one of the key torchbearers of the progressive movement, serving on the cutting edge of civil service reform, financial reform, and caring for the working class and poor, as well as the early stirrings of his natural conservationism.

If there are plenty of areas he could be criticized for today for falling far short of modern sensibilities, at the time he was considered a radical, a loose cannon, someone who, even as a Republican, was a threat to the status quo.

If nothing else, we learn here the facts (if not always, the reasons) for Roosevelt’s ascent and shaping. I ended up knowing a lot more about TR — his youthful love of biology, his bouts of illness, his western ventures, his romantic entanglements, his service in Cuba, and his political career — than I had (which was part of the intent, after all).

The book is narrated by Harry Chase, who does a solid job of it. He gives accents and mannerisms to the written dialog in places that sometimes seem to jar, but never too much, and his diction is clear, his pace steady and solid.

Worth either reading or listening to. I have the presidential sequel, “Theodore Rex, on my wish list …(less)

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Jul 27, 2011

Chris rated it

Shelves: award-winners, bio-autobiography, pulitzers, american-history

How does a madman become president of the United States? A man that didn’t even want to be president? It might suffice to say that fin-de-seile America was mad itself, burgeoning after the Reconstruction and the manic frenzy of invention. America was young, beautiful, talented and ambitious; a teenager that knew where it was going and didn’t show any signs of restraint. Theodore Roosevelt’s eccentric zeal brought out the embodiment of these traits, and with a little luck, that magic wand of...moreHow does a madman become president of the United States? A man that didn’t even want to be president? It might suffice to say that fin-de-seile America was mad itself, burgeoning after the Reconstruction and the manic frenzy of invention. America was young, beautiful, talented and ambitious; a teenager that knew where it was going and didn’t show any signs of restraint. Theodore Roosevelt’s eccentric zeal brought out the embodiment of these traits, and with a little luck, that magic wand of destiny, he was raised on a pedestal to light the torch of a century that witnessed the blazon of America’s influence as a great world power for years to come.

Morris’ style is precious and fluent- a contrast to the bombastic personality of Teddy, but it works nonetheless, and is well-deserving of a Pulitzer. It must be said that this volume only covers only his rise to presidency. It’s the first of a three volume series, and since it’s almost 800 pages long you get the sense of how prolific his life was: there isn’t any one profession or activity he sought to cement himself in.

My opinion on Roosevelt during this period is mixed. His charming, energetic, comical persona came off the pages in waves, and you can see how almost everyone he met seemed to like him (I imagined him as a more aggressive Robin Williams, haha). He was intelligent, diverse in both mental and physical exploration, with an insanely courageous drive to exalt himself despite the odds. But, while he was one of the few politicians of his time to fight corporate corruption (who had infiltrated politics after the insidious Santa Clara County vs Pacific Railroad ruling), he ultimately helped the bigger ones by opening doorways to globalization. He was even an insatiable warmonger who played a huge part in the first American expansionist wars; those being the invasions of Cuba & The Philippines. But during his presidency the U.S. was not involved in any wars, so one might infer that his adventure in Cuba was horrific enough for him to change his mind about warmongering. Another irony was that he claimed to be an environmentalist and established the first Wildlife Refuge in the U.S., yet he hunted animals voraciously and agreed to commence deforestation on American soil. Then, early in his political career he was indifferent to the laboring class, but I know that during his presidency he supported the labor strikes of the early 1900s... and to be so anti-Jeffersonian, yet stand for many of the same ideas, huh?... I don’t know whether or not he was aware of these ironies, or if he changed later on in life- I’ll have to read volume 2 to find out, but these complicated opinions are just a few of the many shades of his ambiguous character, making this both an exciting read and a depressing one. If only I could sit down with Teddy and have a soda to clear some things up. Among other things, I’d probably ask him how it feels to be sculpted next to Thomas Jefferson on Mt. Rushmore! (less)

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Jan 05, 2011

Marissa Morrison rated it

Morris traces the incredible life story of Theodore Roosevelt from birth up to the point where he's about to take over as President. I cannot imagine a more amazing and inspiring subject. In addition to his mental brilliance (he never forgot a person's face or life story and could recite passages of books read dozens of years earlier), Roosevelt had a natural curiosity that his parents allowed to develop: they not only permitted him to kill and stuff thousands of animals throughout his childhood...moreMorris traces the incredible life story of Theodore Roosevelt from birth up to the point where he's about to take over as President. I cannot imagine a more amazing and inspiring subject. In addition to his mental brilliance (he never forgot a person's face or life story and could recite passages of books read dozens of years earlier), Roosevelt had a natural curiosity that his parents allowed to develop: they not only permitted him to kill and stuff thousands of animals throughout his childhood but even provided a room to serve as his museum. His father attacked Roosevelt's debilitating childhood asthma with a regimen of hearty exercise, inspiring him to develop a body that was as strong as his keen mind.

Starting at age 16, various people who meet Roosevelt begin saying that he'll probably be president some day, because his knowledge is so great in a wide range of subjects, his actions are ethical and his personality is electric. In college, he writes his first two books (on birds), woos his wife, and loses his father. As a young man, he writes a few more books (including a thoroughly researched history of the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812 that becomes required reading for naval officers), studies law, socializes with other old-moneyed families in Manhattan, joins the NY state legislature, establishes himself as a cattle rancher, catches some horse thieves (while simultaneously reading Anna Karenina), and loses his wife and never speaks of her again (not even to the daughter born a few days before her death).

In his late twenties, Roosevelt remarries, starts breeding copiously and "patriotically," and uses political appointments in Washington and New York City to fight corruption. As assistant secretary of the Navy, he lobbies for war in Cuba and as soon as war is about to begin he joins the Army to lead the Rough Riders into battle (literally jumping up and down with glee). By the time Roosevelt ascends to the governorship of New York, he's written more than a dozen books and become a national hero.

Finally, having alienated Repbulican party bosses by legislating against big business, he realizes that a second term as governor won't be likely, so he might as well accept the vice-presidential nomination. The book ends when newly sworn-in Vice President Roosevelt, not sure what the future holds and contemplating a return to law school, gets the telegram informing him of President McKinley's death.

Although it's hard to imagine a dull book about the life of Roosevelt, Morris's clear prose and use of lively quotes make for especially fun reading. Even the footnotes are delightful.(less)

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Nov 30, 2010

Mike Hankins rated it

When it comes to nonfiction, it doesn't get better than this.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt traces the early life of our most singular President, from his birth and childhood, up until the day before he took office. It's a fascinating and inspiring story, and incredibly well told.

Roosevelt's life was remarkable in almost every way. I was thrilled by stories of him growing up, overcoming the hardships of severe asthma and illness through tough workouts of all kinds, including...moreWhen it comes to nonfiction, it doesn't get better than this.

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt traces the early life of our most singular President, from his birth and childhood, up until the day before he took office. It's a fascinating and inspiring story, and incredibly well told.

Roosevelt's life was remarkable in almost every way. I was thrilled by stories of him growing up, overcoming the hardships of severe asthma and illness through tough workouts of all kinds, including weightlifting and extreme cardio. Equally thrilling was tracing his path as a budding naturalist and historian, seeing him diverted into politics, and watching him grow and mature through living out "the strenuous life" in a multitude of ways, whether it be tough political dealings and taking down the corruptiuon of machine politics, or through breaking in horses in the frontier and becoming an accomplished cowboy and expert hunter. His formation of the Rough Riders, the regiment he led in the Spanish-American war, was both amazing and inspiring. There's a good reason why this intellectual yet bellicose progressive upstart captured the hearts and minds of the nation, even before he was President.

I was inspired by his uncanny mental abilities. Gifted with a photographic memory and voracious appetite for knowledge, Roosevelt not only read a ludicrous amount of literature, but also was an accomplished writer in his own right, contributing many important historical volumes, most notably a history of the War of 1812 which remains standard reading to this day, influencing some of the most important naval minds of the time, and for many years afterward.

Teddy's adventures led him through some fascinating events, including a brief stint as Police Commissoner in New York City, where he made himself famous by sneaking around at night in costume so as to catch corrupt officers who bailed on their duties in the night. That's right, Theodore Roosevelt--in addition to being a Cowboy, an important historian, an accomplished naturalist and preservationist, a brilliant naval strategist, the first proponent of American Air Power, a war hero, and an incredibly effective progressive politician--was only one small step away from actually being Batman. And all this was well before he became President.

The stories are amazing in and of themselves, but Edmund Morris truly brings them to life in a fascinating way. His writing is impeccable, managing to give you not only the facts, but the emotional thrill of each moment. While it's easy to get caught up in Teddy's adventures of felling grizzly bears in the Old West, Morris manages to make Teddy's paperwork as a Civil Service Secretary just as thrilling. The depth of research is simply astounding. It's obvious that Morris poured over thousands of documents, including a liberal amount of revealing excerpts from Roosevelt's own writing, and also inserting quotes and clips from the journals of other people Teddy encountered, newspapers of the time, and other official government documents. If it sounds boring, it's far from it. Morris weaves all his information together into a tight narrative, full of excitement and energy that is a thrill to read on every page.

I plan to read this book again and again. Luckily, it's part 1 of a trilogy (Part 2 is "Theodore Rex" which covers the presidency, and the yet-to-be-released "Colonel Roosevelt" wraps up the post-presidency years) so I've got plenty of greatness to look forward to.

Even if you're not into history or politics, you owe it to yourself to check this out, it's a treasure.(less)

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Oct 10, 2010

Terry rated it

This excellent biography of Theodore Roosevelt covers the period of his life from birth until just before his becoming President after the death of William McKinley in September 1901. Teddy Roosevelt was larger than life -- a man full of vigor and drive. People were predicting he'd become President of the United States while he was still a teenager. He was perhaps the first leader of the country to bridge the cultures of Easterner and Westerner. He is a study in contrasts -- an expert inside...more

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Feb 25, 2010

Ty rated it

I started another biography after finishing this and quickly realized not many non-fiction books can be this lively and engrossing. Morris succeeds in writing a surprisingly objective profile of a very complicated figure. The best insight into Roosevelt is Morris' description of him as less a calculating politico and more of a genuine force of nature. Many who met Roosevelt dislike him, quite a few feared him, but everyone was captivated by his energy and almost gravitational personality. Th...moreI started another biography after finishing this and quickly realized not many non-fiction books can be this lively and engrossing. Morris succeeds in writing a surprisingly objective profile of a very complicated figure. The best insight into Roosevelt is Morris' description of him as less a calculating politico and more of a genuine force of nature. Many who met Roosevelt dislike him, quite a few feared him, but everyone was captivated by his energy and almost gravitational personality. The best line was the Republican Party chairman opposing Roosevelt's nomination to the vice-presidency with the horrified words "there will only be one life between that madman and the presidency!"

A couple other insights:
-Journalistic ethics are bull. The idea of objective journalism is so far removed from the publications of the late 19th century, when newspapers were at their most influential, that for modern commentators to lament the decline of ethical writing is a joke.

-Roosevelt was insanely popular and successful despite having very little real power for most of his political career. Before becoming New York's governor in 1899, Roosevelt had been a state assemblyman, a failed mayoral candidate, a rancher, a convention delegate, an author of naval and natural history, a federal civil service commissioner, one of the New York City police commissioners, and assistant secretary of the Navy. While he became governor at a young age, he became an assemblyman at 23 (depressing for me), meaning almost two decades of middling political influence in the intervening years. Yet despite the fact that being one of four municipal police commissioners was one of the more powerful positions Roosevelt had before assuming the presidency in 1901, he was still a national celebrity the entire time. No one outworked or out-publicized Roosevelt. Rather than subtle political maneuvering, Roosevelt simply made sure (1) he was utterly incorruptible and (2) he always worked in the spotlight. I can't think of another politician like him.(less)

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Feb 05, 2010

Matt rated it

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 Democrat can support his love of nature, and the creation of the National Park system; Republicans can support the fact that Teddy would be more than willing to go into those National Parks and blow the hell out of whatever animal crossed his path. A Democrat can su...more

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Sep 05, 2009

James rated it

Shelves: history, biography, non-fiction

Long and detailed, _The Rise..._ provides a very full and deep sweep of TR's life before the Presidency. My view of it may be somewhat influenced by the fact that I heard it as an audiobook on a long ride, but I felt that for all its depth I still couldn't quite get inside TR's head to understand his motivations and drives at a deeper level; it could be that, given the historical records we hove, Morris did absolutely the best job possible. I also found it a little but fan magazine rather than b...more

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May 22, 2011

Judy rated it

I loved this book. It won the Pulitzer Prize and it's easy to see why. In this first volume of Morris's trilogy, Theodore Roosevelt is examined from birth to the moment he discovers that President McKinley has died and he is now President of the Unied States. While much of the book focuses on Roosevelt's rapid rise to power--which Roosevelt himself compared to the trajectory of a rocket--Theodore Roosevelt was also a naturalist, a successful author, a husband, a father, a hunter, a rancher, a...more

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Sep 09, 2010

Frank Stein rated it

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One of the best biographies I've ever read.

It apparently started out as a screenplay, and retains all the vivid dialog and dramatically drawn settings that one would expect from such a work, but it is also rigorously footnoted and filled with an intimate knowledge of American political and social life at the end of the nineteenth century.

Most of all it is a beautiful portrait of a truly singular man: a small, asthmatic child who grew through pure force of personal will in...more

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Feb 25, 2009

Peter rated it

This is my favorite non fiction book. I knew very little about Theodore Roosevelt before reading this, but that turned about to be a good thing because it was fun to see what would happen next! Not only do you learn a great deal about his life and his personality, but the book is also a fascinating history of the late 1800's. It's a biography, but the novel reads like a narrative. We follow Theodore from childhood through becoming a New York State Assemblyman, running a ranch in South Dakota...more

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May 06, 2010

Jim rated it

Shelves: history-and-biography, non-fiction, favorites

One of the best biographies of half a life that I've ever read. It covers Roosevelt’s life from birth to the point where he is told that McKinley has died and he (Roosevelt) is President.

In reading this, I was again amazed that one man was able to pack in so much activity into a single life. A list of the achievements is worth repeating: State legislator, cowboy rancher, police commissioner, social reformer, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, amateur boxer, war hero, governor, vice pr...more

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Sep 05, 2011

Mike rated it

Shelves: biography, history-american, non-fiction, non-fiction-favorite

Wow what a great book! As just about all of the reviews of this book have said, this is a fantastic look at the life of Teddy Roosevelt up to his ascension to the Presidency. What a fascinating man TR was. His entire lifestyle is worth of emulating and inspiring to us even today. TR seemingly never stopped going either mentally or physically. He was always walking, talking riding, hunting, or reading and seemed to require little or no sleep to be highly successful at all things. It makes m...more

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Jun 25, 2008

David rated it

Shelves: bio

An incredible book about an incredible dude. Teddy has vaulted to the top of my favorite presidents list. More about the book? Its been in print for 30 or so years, and still sells well.
Having just finished this book, my curiosity is piqued to see how mature 40 year old Theodore orchestrates the office of the presidency having earned the infamous title of "madman" from a contemporary.

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Dec 18, 2011

haetmonger rated it

[Jacob] Riis put the question directly. Was he working to be President? The effect, wrote [Lincoln] Steffens, "was frightening."

TR leaped to his feet, ran around the desk, and fists clenched, teeth bared, he seemed about to throttle Riis, who cowered away, amazed.

"Don't you dare ask me that," TR yelled at Riis. "Don't you put such ideas into my head. No friend of mine would ever say a thing like that, you—you—"

Riis's shocked face or TR'

...more

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Jan 22, 2009

William Blake rated it

Briefly, I have learned that while Theodore Roosevelt may well not be our greatest President, he is certainly amongst our most interesting (full disclosure: I'm more or less stealing that line from another review I came across of this book). Roosevelt the young man, and Roosevelt the aspiring politician, impresses me mostly for his (truly astounding) energy and earnestness, and it seems clear that Morris is at pains to emphasize them both. He tends to gloss over a bit Roosevelt's often startling...moreBriefly, I have learned that while Theodore Roosevelt may well not be our greatest President, he is certainly amongst our most interesting (full disclosure: I'm more or less stealing that line from another review I came across of this book). Roosevelt the young man, and Roosevelt the aspiring politician, impresses me mostly for his (truly astounding) energy and earnestness, and it seems clear that Morris is at pains to emphasize them both. He tends to gloss over a bit Roosevelt's often startling myopic and self-centered world view, but I do feel as though young Theodore's virtues far outweigh any character flaws. I love very much coming across Teddy's off-handed journal entries (and Morris' equally succinct descriptions of these entries) that include information like, "I played 91 games of tennis today. Am looking forward to better efforts tomorrow." It is a cliche, and incorrect, to say that Morris' account reads like a novel; after all, if Morris wanted to write a novel, he must assuredly would have! But the pacing is often as breathless as Teddy's manic personality, and the book is at no points a dull read (as is the case, let's face it, with quite a few presidential biographies).

I am also finding it easy to contrast Roosevelt with the outgoing Bush administration (though it should be noted that this particular volume chronicles Roosevelt's rise to the Presidency, while its companion book, Theodore Rex, documents his time in office and afterward). Both men were absolutely convinced of their own righteousness. And both men were combative, very much to a fault. I imagine that Bush apologists will point to Roosevelt as a man who also made monumental errors in judgment, but did so in the very best possible spirit and with the best interests of a country he loved at heart. Possibly true. The difference is that Roosevelt's mind was far sharper than is G.W. Bush's, and he certainly was more adept at making at least some effort to appease or soothe his opposition. It seems as though Roosevelt's moral compass was already fully formed by the time he assumed office, and he never varied from this strict code. Bush's variability is perhaps his most detrimental quality, and in this he differs drastically from his distant predecessor. And to be honest, I cannot imagine that a biography of our soon-to-be ex-President would be this interesting, though this book does, perhaps, give us reason to wonder if history will be somewhat more kind to his legacy than we are, at present, wont to be. (less)

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Jan 23, 2008

Billy rated it

Recommends it for: politically inspired and the energetically slothful

Dee-Lighted!
What an amazing person TR was. I keep thinking maybe he was just born at the right time and that is how he makes himself look so good all the time, but maybe that personality could do it today. This book covers his birth up to his vice-presidency. An amazing and very readable account which I would recommend to any couch potato seeking inspiration.

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Apr 07, 2010

Antonio Baclig rated it

The further you get into this biography of Roosevelt’s life before the presidency, the more the title fits. Roosevelt’s path, after dropping him as a notable Commissioner of Police in New York City, takes on a logic, a momentum, that nobody can stop; all one can do is watch him rise, to the Assistant Secretary of Navy, to the hero of the Rough Riders, to the Governor of New York, to the Vice-Presidency, and to the job that many saw him headed for since his 20s, the President of the United States...moreThe further you get into this biography of Roosevelt’s life before the presidency, the more the title fits. Roosevelt’s path, after dropping him as a notable Commissioner of Police in New York City, takes on a logic, a momentum, that nobody can stop; all one can do is watch him rise, to the Assistant Secretary of Navy, to the hero of the Rough Riders, to the Governor of New York, to the Vice-Presidency, and to the job that many saw him headed for since his 20s, the President of the United States of America.

And if even only a fraction of what Morris writes about is correct (and I have no reason to doubt any of it, though I am not a knowledgeable source), TR was an amazing human being. His indefatigable personality affected everybody, and everything, around him, whether it was the machine politicians or the mountains that tried to stand in his way. His The Naval War of 1812, written as he was finishing college at Harvard and then taking law classes, was a definitive historical work for many decades, and a standard in the navy within years of its debut—and TR had no prior expertise in naval warfare. At age 25, the natural politician was his party’s leader in the New York legislature, about the third or fourth most powerful position in the state. TR took on the political machines, industrial-political alliances, the New York police force, bandits in the west, the Spaniards in Cuba, and more. The opponent did not matter, because TR seemingly could not be intimated or stopped. He also had a sense of wisdom and clarity, predicting the importance of publicity and public relations in politics, naval preparedness and even early aviation for the U.S., and the need for environmental conservation.

But what is left out? In presenting TR’s amazing rise, Morris perhaps leaves out, or glosses over, some missteps, errors of judgment or personality, and neglected aspects of TR’s life. Notably absent from most of the second half of the book is his family; one wonders, with all of his political work, how much time TR spent at home. Roosevelt’s jingoism is alluded to, but never addressed in a critical manner. His political maneuverings are taken as part of the territory.

The work is an exciting read of an amazing life, more story than biography at times. It should not be the final say on TR, because every great person is also a person. But this portrait of TR, even with the questions it brings up, inspires one to action.(less)

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Jun 09, 2011

Rob rated it

· review of another edition

Edmund Morris's first volume in the life of Theodore Roosevelt is one of the best presidential biographies I have ever read. Morris is an excellent writer and presents what could have been pretty dry-as-dust information in a fascinating and entertaining way. I can't wait to begin volume two, Thedore Rex.

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Aug 16, 2011

Rachel rated it

· review of another edition

Extremely fascinating biography of Theodore Roosevelt from birth to the time he became president. I learned so much, and not just about him, but about American history in general. It was also interesting seeing how politics is always politics--there have always been scandals, corruptions, and idiotic movements. It makes me feel a little better about the crazy political scene we find ourselves in today.

Teddy is simply a fascinating human being. Extremely intelligent and unimaginably...more

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About Edmund Morris

Edmund Morris is a writer best known for his biographies of United States presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan. Morris received his early education in Kenya after which he attended Rhodes University in South Africa. He worked as an advertising copywriter in London before emigrating to the United States in 1968.
His biography The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt won the Pulitzer Prize and...more

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