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In the Arena: Good Citizens, a Great Republic, and How One Speech Can Reinvigorate America
This vigorous call-to-arms to reignite American citizenship at home and restore American power abroad by the Fox News contributor and decorated Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran uses the timeless truths of Teddy Roosevelt’s iconic “Man in the Arena” speech, and “is a must-read that underscores our collective responsibility to restore America’s role as an exceptional…global leader” (Senator John McCain).
Pete Hegseth makes “an impassioned, wide-ranging” (Rich Lowry, editor of National Review) argument for how Teddy Roosevelt’s articulation of “good citizens,” “equality of opportunity,” and unapologetic US leadership—“good patriots”—can renew our imperiled American experiment and save the free world, in this fascinating “road-map for rejecting decline and forging another American century” (Mark Levin).
Despite contention surrounding Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy, Hegseth argues that the Rough Rider’s exhortation serves as a timeless wake-up call for our Republic. In order to rejuvenate what makes America exceptional, we must unapologetically get back into Roosevelt’s arena—as engaged “good citizens” at home and powerful “good patriots” in the world.
Bolstered by Teddy Roosevelt’s words, Hegseth went to war for our country and relates his gripping personal experience. He argues that an exceptional American experiment was entrusted to “average citizens” in 1776 and has been perpetuated by every generation since…until now. If we won’t fight for America, then what will we fight for? And if not now, then when? Get in the arena!
Pete Hegseth makes “an impassioned, wide-ranging” (Rich Lowry, editor of National Review) argument for how Teddy Roosevelt’s articulation of “good citizens,” “equality of opportunity,” and unapologetic US leadership—“good patriots”—can renew our imperiled American experiment and save the free world, in this fascinating “road-map for rejecting decline and forging another American century” (Mark Levin).
Despite contention surrounding Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy, Hegseth argues that the Rough Rider’s exhortation serves as a timeless wake-up call for our Republic. In order to rejuvenate what makes America exceptional, we must unapologetically get back into Roosevelt’s arena—as engaged “good citizens” at home and powerful “good patriots” in the world.
Bolstered by Teddy Roosevelt’s words, Hegseth went to war for our country and relates his gripping personal experience. He argues that an exceptional American experiment was entrusted to “average citizens” in 1776 and has been perpetuated by every generation since…until now. If we won’t fight for America, then what will we fight for? And if not now, then when? Get in the arena!
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First published May 3, 2016
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About the author
Pete Hegseth
6 books219 followersU.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is the former co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend and a frequent guest co-host for the weekday edition of Fox & Friends. He is also a former Fox News Senior Political Analyst. Pete is an Army veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was also a guard at Guantanamo Bay. He holds two Bronze Stars and a Combat Infantryman’s Badge for his time in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pete graduated from Princeton University in 2003.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 16, 2016
An amazing read. Kicked me in the pants from page one. I wish every American would read IN THE ARENA.
December 14, 2017
In this unusually well-written book, Hegseth uses a speech from Teddy Roosevelt as a springboard to define the qualities and attributes of, as well as the necessity for, good citizenship.
Roosevelt’s time was a challenging one as America was dealing with a huge influx of low skilled immigrants and all of the problems that accompanies such a large group of migrants who do not speak the language. He only asked for loyalty and to embrace American values. In The Arena asks the same from all of us.
As a combat veteran, Pete’s appeal to American citizens to stand up for the Republic resonates that much more forceful and credible. It takes a willing, active and appreciative constituency to maintain a Republic and Pete shows us all what needs to be done to keep this great country on the right path. This is a must read for all Americans who value this country and its exceptionalism.
John E. Nevola - Author of The Last Jump
U.S. Army Veteran
Military Writer's Society of America
Roosevelt’s time was a challenging one as America was dealing with a huge influx of low skilled immigrants and all of the problems that accompanies such a large group of migrants who do not speak the language. He only asked for loyalty and to embrace American values. In The Arena asks the same from all of us.
As a combat veteran, Pete’s appeal to American citizens to stand up for the Republic resonates that much more forceful and credible. It takes a willing, active and appreciative constituency to maintain a Republic and Pete shows us all what needs to be done to keep this great country on the right path. This is a must read for all Americans who value this country and its exceptionalism.
John E. Nevola - Author of The Last Jump
U.S. Army Veteran
Military Writer's Society of America
May 4, 2025
Interesting to note his ideological consistencies (doesn’t like international institutions, hates islamists, is furious at the amorphous forces of The Left™️) and changes (this book showcases an interventionist neocon-style foreign policy and deplores isolationists; focuses on conspiratorial machinations of The Globalists™️ more than his later works; and he doesn’t devote nearly as much ink to being mad about female service members) between when this book was written in 2016 and when "war on warriors" and "battle for the American mind" were published in the past year or two.
I gave it two stars because the arguments in this book were much more cogent than those in "the war on warriors" which was interesting. And at least this one didn’t have any Death Star metaphors, unlike his later books.
I gave it two stars because the arguments in this book were much more cogent than those in "the war on warriors" which was interesting. And at least this one didn’t have any Death Star metaphors, unlike his later books.
November 21, 2024
As I said earlier, this book is outdated seeing that this is after the presidential election of 2024. I picked it up to find out who Pete Hegseth really was or is. I was not disappointed since I was a fan of Teddy Roosevelt. Donald Trump is now president and we will see how much of a Roosevelt he is. He is the second president to be reelected not in successive terms. he has been nominated to be secretary of defense. Trump has decided to pull people from out of the ordinary into his cabinet, you should’ve done in his first term.
I am not disappointed in what I found out about Hegseth and look forward to reading more current articles and books by him
I am not disappointed in what I found out about Hegseth and look forward to reading more current articles and books by him
November 6, 2017
This book is an excellent book about citizenship, what is meant by American exceptionalism and why this ideal is losing ground with America today. Inspired by the speech, "Citizenship in a Republic" by Teddy Roosevelt, this book talks about how some of the things Teddy Roosevelt warned against have actually materialized in this modern and idealistic America. Great book! Not a good book for the modern liberal though...
July 19, 2017
Excellent book that every conservative should read....well and liberals too for that matter! Pete explains alongside with Teddy's speech, the issues facing America today, how we got here and how to fix them.
I highly recommend reading this.
I highly recommend reading this.
July 8, 2024
Good read. Let’s get in the arena- be proud of our great country.
Just by happen chance, I read “the Old Lion” by Jeff Shaara. Having this information made the many references the Pete made more understandable.
Just by happen chance, I read “the Old Lion” by Jeff Shaara. Having this information made the many references the Pete made more understandable.
February 13, 2025
I've read a few of Mr. Hegseth's other books. They have always been very passionate about patriotism and what it really means to be a part of this great nation. While, this one has some dated content, the overall premise is relevant even today.
April 11, 2021
Great book, well written.........I agree with the positive reviews that have already been written!
November 23, 2024
A defense of American exceptionalism. Somewhat dated, unfortunately the situation worsened during the Biden administration.
June 26, 2016
There are a lot of books out there that attempt to dissect the political and social problems America currently faces and offer solutions to those problems. Some are articulate, balanced, and reasonable while others are nothing but partisan drivel masquerading as more politically and/or intellectually honest than the authors opponents, who are often described in derogatory "Us vs. Them" terms. This book is the former with just enough of the latter to keep it from being a great read, even for Liberal such as myself.
Unlike some books written by conservative pundits, this book is a pretty level-headed statement of Conservative principles without too much vitriol. Indeed, I found it both surprising and refreshing when Mr. Hegseth seemed flexible on "public policy that makes it possible to juggle having a career and having lots of healthy children," even for same-sex families (pp. 39 & 40), within his first chapter. Based around Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's 1910 "Man in the Arena" speech, Mr. Hegseth tries to extract key lessons from TR's speech and apply them to America today using his own experiences as a soldier and lobbyist for Iraq & Afghanistan veterans as an example. Mr. Hegseth is clearly patriotic and passionate in all the ways that should make Americans of any political stripe proud.
However, he does at times indulge in some of Right's less savory aspects. For example, he can't help but denigrate the "Coexist Left" for not being patriotic enough and lumps Pres. Obama in with this crowd. His view on the success of the Surge in Iraq in 2007 is myopic as he only praises the soldiers, but conveniently leaves out the Sunni Awakening that was happening at the same time. Without one you would not have had the success of the other. He is also quick to say that Pres. Obama was too eager to get out of Iraq in 2011 without a Status of Forces agreement to keep a contingent of American soldiers there, but conveniently forgets that the Iraqi government didn't want to conclude an SOF agreement with us at that time as well. He even goes so far as to call Pres. Obama a coward, something that any former soldier should know better than to say about their Commander-in-Chief. Still, compared to some of the criticisms that have come out of the political Right over the last eight years, this is pretty tame stuff and I could totally see Mr. Hegseth and I having a friendly disagreement and still being able to have a drink together afterwards. Also, he does have this strange fixation at the beginning of his book on bicycle helmets being a sign of the wussification of America, a fixation that he even admits to. All I will say about this is that thank goodness it doesn't run throughout the whole book. That would've just been weird.
The main point of this book is not to rehash the Iraq War or make policy recommendations, although Mr. Hegseth does both. This book is really a call to Americans to broad conservative principles. It is neither polemical nor soporific and, I think, can be genuinely appealing to a broad audience. And though they are not the focus of this book, some of the policy recommendations Mr. Hegseth are worthy of serious consideration such as: making the building of a high-speed internet infrastructure a top priority; policies empowering students to choose the best higher education for themselves (not everyone or every job needs a 4-year university degree); and making passage of the U.S. Citizenship test a prerequisite for all students graduating from high school. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in a well-balanced book on conservative principles, even to my Liberal and Progressive friends who are interested in researching the other end without running into a wall of right-wing bile.
Unlike some books written by conservative pundits, this book is a pretty level-headed statement of Conservative principles without too much vitriol. Indeed, I found it both surprising and refreshing when Mr. Hegseth seemed flexible on "public policy that makes it possible to juggle having a career and having lots of healthy children," even for same-sex families (pp. 39 & 40), within his first chapter. Based around Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's 1910 "Man in the Arena" speech, Mr. Hegseth tries to extract key lessons from TR's speech and apply them to America today using his own experiences as a soldier and lobbyist for Iraq & Afghanistan veterans as an example. Mr. Hegseth is clearly patriotic and passionate in all the ways that should make Americans of any political stripe proud.
However, he does at times indulge in some of Right's less savory aspects. For example, he can't help but denigrate the "Coexist Left" for not being patriotic enough and lumps Pres. Obama in with this crowd. His view on the success of the Surge in Iraq in 2007 is myopic as he only praises the soldiers, but conveniently leaves out the Sunni Awakening that was happening at the same time. Without one you would not have had the success of the other. He is also quick to say that Pres. Obama was too eager to get out of Iraq in 2011 without a Status of Forces agreement to keep a contingent of American soldiers there, but conveniently forgets that the Iraqi government didn't want to conclude an SOF agreement with us at that time as well. He even goes so far as to call Pres. Obama a coward, something that any former soldier should know better than to say about their Commander-in-Chief. Still, compared to some of the criticisms that have come out of the political Right over the last eight years, this is pretty tame stuff and I could totally see Mr. Hegseth and I having a friendly disagreement and still being able to have a drink together afterwards. Also, he does have this strange fixation at the beginning of his book on bicycle helmets being a sign of the wussification of America, a fixation that he even admits to. All I will say about this is that thank goodness it doesn't run throughout the whole book. That would've just been weird.
The main point of this book is not to rehash the Iraq War or make policy recommendations, although Mr. Hegseth does both. This book is really a call to Americans to broad conservative principles. It is neither polemical nor soporific and, I think, can be genuinely appealing to a broad audience. And though they are not the focus of this book, some of the policy recommendations Mr. Hegseth are worthy of serious consideration such as: making the building of a high-speed internet infrastructure a top priority; policies empowering students to choose the best higher education for themselves (not everyone or every job needs a 4-year university degree); and making passage of the U.S. Citizenship test a prerequisite for all students graduating from high school. I would recommend this book to people who are interested in a well-balanced book on conservative principles, even to my Liberal and Progressive friends who are interested in researching the other end without running into a wall of right-wing bile.
March 11, 2025
I’ve followed Pete for several years on Fox News. I was really surprised he was chosen by President Trump to be Director of Defense. After reading his book, I was very impressed at all he has been involved in while in the military. His knowledge, and facts concerning our military was impressive to me. I’ve read several of his books, and I recommend you do the same. I think we will all be impressed with his job.
February 29, 2016
Mr. Hegseth is certainly qualified to be writing a book about the Arena.
He has served his country and dealt with enemies both foreign and domestic.
In the Arena takes a look at Teddy Roosevelt's Citizenship in a Republic address and breaks it down in a very straightforward manner. We are to be good citizens of our country and ask ourselves if we are doing our fair share to ensure the well being of our values as a nation.
He reminds us of our responsibility to be productive, informed and ready to fight for the country we claim to love. Are there some hard truths in here? Yes, and he is very clear about how we must act if we are to not just exist, but to be leaders in the world.
Very well spoken and informative, his is a voice I am sure we will here more from.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
He has served his country and dealt with enemies both foreign and domestic.
In the Arena takes a look at Teddy Roosevelt's Citizenship in a Republic address and breaks it down in a very straightforward manner. We are to be good citizens of our country and ask ourselves if we are doing our fair share to ensure the well being of our values as a nation.
He reminds us of our responsibility to be productive, informed and ready to fight for the country we claim to love. Are there some hard truths in here? Yes, and he is very clear about how we must act if we are to not just exist, but to be leaders in the world.
Very well spoken and informative, his is a voice I am sure we will here more from.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 25, 2016
A must read! This is a very good reminder that a good government depends on the development of good citizens. We are required to enter the "Arena" and work for a government based on our constitution; of, by and for equally free people with equal opportunity to achieve personal success.
I have great respect for Pete Hegseth and his efforts to educate and stimulate us to understand the function of our republic and the importance of the role each of us plays in fostering its successful implementation.
He provides us with some efficient ideas for fostering success: school choice and educating our children in the founding documents and the role of a citizen, revamping ineffective programs like the Veterans Administration, identifying and combating the 3 major threats to our republic Islamists, the Chinese Dream and globalism.
A call to action.
I have great respect for Pete Hegseth and his efforts to educate and stimulate us to understand the function of our republic and the importance of the role each of us plays in fostering its successful implementation.
He provides us with some efficient ideas for fostering success: school choice and educating our children in the founding documents and the role of a citizen, revamping ineffective programs like the Veterans Administration, identifying and combating the 3 major threats to our republic Islamists, the Chinese Dream and globalism.
A call to action.
May 26, 2016
More of Conservative view points. But pointed out about China as a growing problem not just Islam. One thing I liked was he did not attack President Obama or other Democrats personal just their politics. He also list his solutions not just the problems.
July 28, 2016
Interesting parallel with Teddy Roosevelt' times, reinforcing values, duties and responsibilities for citizens of a republic. I enjoyed it a lot!
May 3, 2017
OK but hard to keep interested at times
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews