Theodore Roosevelt: Fighting Patriot

by Clara Ingram Judson, Lorence F. Bjorklund (Illustrator)

The thrilling, superbly-written story of one our greatest presidents. Theodore Roosevelt's vigorous personality, his long struggle to overcome his sickly youth, his many and varied contributions to his country, will be an inspiration to young readers.

Genres: Biography, Childrens, Nonfiction, American History, Presidents, Juvenile

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1953

About the author

Clara Ingram Judson (1879–1960) was an American author who wrote over 70 books for children. She was born on May 4, 1879, in Logansport, Indiana, and married James McIntosh Judson in 1901. Her first children's book was Flower Fairies, published in 1915. She is probably most famous for her books in the Mary Jane Series, first published in 1918.

Her radio program on homemaking debuted in 1928, making her one of the first women broadcasters.

She died on May 24, 1960, in Evanston, Illinois, shortly before she would receive the second Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, just after Laura Ingalls Wilder herself. She later got her own award, the Clara Ingram Judson Award.

Reviews

[Lynette Caulkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

I unexpectedly enjoyed this 1965 biography, read for my Newbery collection. Judson's writing is personable and gives us an easy-reading biography of Theodore Roosevelt's life. This book will show you what made the man, what was important to him, what drove him, and what patterns his life traveled along. T.R. was one of the few honest politicians we've had, and the reader can see how his early personal trials, combined with the attitudes of his father, formed a man who cared very much about the plight of working class people. He also had a more international view than many statesmen of his time, and did much for relations throughout the world. The respect shown to him on many continents testifies to this.

Politics are unavoidable in such a biography, but you don't get bogged down in them here. You learn what stances and attitudes Roosevelt brought into his statesman work and the outline of things that he worked for, but if you're looking for more than a cursory record of his presidency, you'll need to look elsewhere.

It's fairly clear that, like T.R., Judson must have been a progressive, because her biography highlights all the ways Roosevelt championed that stance. She ignores the issue of race, however. Roosevelt was no hard racist, and in fact wanted to improve the situation in the U.S. He was still a white man of his times with an extremely paternalist view. (Namely: Whites needed to "lift" the other races to a higher existence, rather than respect their uniqueness.) Nor was he a rabid Native American killer as some would mispaint him, but he was definitely an assimilation proponent. And all of this is ignored by Judson.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this biography of Theodore Roosevelt’s life. The author does a nice job of giving context to his rise to power as a politician, showing how he struggled with and overcame childhood illness and incorporated that fighting spirit into his every day life.

Description of cigar factory reform championed by Roosevelt: “This attempt in the early 1880’s to have a product made under healthy conditions was very bold. Many said that Roosevelt’s concern showed he was a youthful Don Quixote rather than a sensible legislator. Apparently no one on the committee thought that something might be done for the people as well as for the cigars. The social conscience was sleeping soundly in those years.” The factory workers were living and working in filthy conditions, and yet the concern of the committee was in the quality of the cigars being affected by the filth! Incredible.

Roosevelt’s own words:
--“Our kind of government has two dangers: good citizens are not always active and the other kind are always active.”
--If you see on the road a man who needs help, give it to him. We all need help at times. But if you see a man lying down, not trying to help himself, don’t put him on your back. You might have to carry him always.”
--“A true American does what he can, with what he has, where he is. That’s the tradition that has made America strong.”

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book in my opinion. 3.5 stars, easy. It details the life, happy and sad, of Theodore Roosevelt. He was a great man, also in my opinion. If only the Republican Party nominated Roosevelt instead of Taft (for his second term), then it's likely that our nation would never have had to deal with the miserable Woodrow Wilson. And it's incredibly likely we would have gotten into WWI more quickly and saved possibly many lives. Just saying.

Anyway, the book is well-written, though it is slightly politically charged (toward Progressive-Republicanism). It's a relatively easy read, and it kept me plenty interested throughout.

[Mike Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Judson beautifully captures the ideals of public service and shows how TR worked hard to achieve and promote them. There were many points where the book helped me explain to our boys what I try to do at work.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Roosevelt Island is my favorite presidential memorial in DC- I find all of the quotes so inspiring- so I was excited to learn more about this President. And I did learn a lot, but this book sort of tripped and fast forwarded and even seemed to change writing styles often, which was frustrating and more difficult to read than it needed to be.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR: Clara Ingram Judson
TITLE: Theodore Roosevelt: Fighting Patriot
DATE READ: 1/26/21
TIME/PLACE: 12:53 pm, Recliner in Living room
RATING: 8/10
FIRST SENTENCE: A Sunday hush lay upon the Roosevelt home in New York City.
GENRE: Children, Biography, Nonfiction
PUB DATE/PUBLISHER: 1/1/1953 Follett Publishing Co
TYPE: Hardcover
# OF PAGES: 218
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: Stand-alone
CHALLENGE: A book that taught you something new / A mode of transportation on cover (horse)
LIST READ: Newbery Honor
CHARACTERS: Theodore Roosevelt & family, Franklin Roosevelt, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson
LOCATION: Washington DC, New York
TIME PERIOD: 1858-1919
COMMENTS: I learned more about President #26 Teddy Roosevelt's life (1858-1919) including that he didn't like the nickname Teddy. As well as the proceeding President William McKinley was shot and died later from gangrene. The following President Woodrow Wilson who did all he could (against Roosevelt's advice) to keep us out of WW1. Roosevelt enjoyed big game hunting in Africa and South America. He was very sickly in 1913 from a tropical fever while in South America. It weakened him the rest of his life until his death.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember if the Abraham Lincoln biography this author also wrote was written in this same style and if so, why I would have been more forgiving of it. This was written as more fiction than biography, a lot more speculation than fact. The author clearly had an agenda and powered through any bits of history that could have been viewed outside that agenda.

[Christina Packard · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a nut shell.. I learned a lot. As a senior citizen I could not have told you but a few things about Roosevelt. This is a very fast read and very entertaining. Learning about Roosevelt's youth and young adult life made me understand how he acted as an adult and then president.

[Desiree']

1954 Newbery honor book

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Readable, somewhat fictionalized biography of the 26th President - I think I'm likely giving it an extra star because the TR depicted was so honorable in comparison with the 45th. The details that I know I knew before reading this included: San Juan and the Rough Riders, the Panama Canal, the importance of carrying a big stick, and his interest in conservation (in spite of big game hunting). What I learned: as a child he'd been asthmatic, that while he was of the upper to upper middle class he was a progressive who had interest in the well-being of the poor, and that he was anti-corruption and was an anti-Tammany Hall politician. The author does have an agenda to depict TR in the best light possible and was writing with the biases of her time: TR rightfully supported the Monroe Doctrine (Spanish American War, Venzuelan threat) and was mostly anti-isolation (run-up to WWI - this was written not long after WWII's victories). I found his personal life to be both tragic and intriguing and will definitely seek out other bios. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (Popsugar 2020 "F/NF about world leader") and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1954). I read a version posted on Open Library due limited library access because of the Covid 19 pandemic

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this twice now, and both times it was highly enjoyable. A biography of Theodore Roosevelt, who was much more than just the President. He was a husband twice, a father, an outdoorsman, a soldier, an explorer. He was a man who believed in doing the right thing even when it wasn't the popular thing. Very engaging writing!

[Scott Williams]

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