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Teddy

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July 1918. Preparing to speak to an eager audience, 61-year-old Teddy Roosevelt receives the telegram that all parents of children who serve in war fear most: His son Quentin’s plane has been shot down in a dogfight over France. His fate is unknown. Despite rising fear for his youngest son, Teddy takes the stage to speak to his beloved fellow citizens. It is, he says, “my simple duty.” But the speech evolves from politics and the war, into an examination of his life, the choices he’s made, and the costs of his “Warrior Philosophy.”

Overflowing with his love of nature, adventure, and justice, Teddy dramatically illustrates the life of one of America’s greatest presidents. His many accomplishments ranged from charging up San Juan Hill in Cuba as commander of the Rough Riders, to facing down U.S. corporate monopolies, to launching the Great White Fleet, building the Panama Canal, and the preservation of hundreds of millions of acres of natural American beauty. And finally, to the vigorous life at Sagamore Hill and his immense pride in a beloved and rambunctious family. Teddy reveals how even the greatest of men is still just a man, and how even the most modest man can grow to be great.

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 17, 2021

24 people want to read

About the author

Laurence Luckinbill

5 books2 followers

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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Geoff.
994 reviews131 followers
January 30, 2021
Conversational autobiographical comic about TR that starts with the conceit that he is giving a speech close to the end of his life the morning after learning his youngest son has died in WWI. The narrative quickly spins of into flashback and fantasy across his life, but what this novel ends up being is a meditation on the late 19th and early 2oth century conception of manhood ( physical toughness, honor, war, duty, and country over family) and America that TR exemplified. It's an interesting biography and there are some heart wrenching moments close to the end that hit me hard as a parent. The art is serviceable and while there aren't easy answers to the questions that the comic asks, I'm enjoying mulling them over days after I first finished the story.

**Thanks to the author, artist, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Chad.
10.3k reviews1,060 followers
May 13, 2021
Teddy Roosevelt's life told through the lens of a speech given late in his life. I thought the story could have went into greater detail about the major events in Roosevelt's life. Years that major events took place would have been helpful as well to put this into perspective. I did like the art, particularly the monochrome blue palette.
Profile Image for Trinity Benstock.
97 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2023
Factually incorrect in places. So poorly down that I assumed pages were missing.
Profile Image for Rod Brown.
7,342 reviews281 followers
September 24, 2023
This is the graphic novel adaptation of Teddy Tonight!, a one-act show written and performed by Laurence Luckinbill, currently available to view at https://laurenceluckinbill.com/index.php or https://youtu.be/O63J4ERzBrI. Apparently, he's done several other shows where he portrays a historical figure who talks about his life, including Clarence Darrow, Ernest Hemingway, and Lyndon Baines Johnson. Everybody needs a hobby, I suppose.

The concept here is that Theodore Roosevelt is giving a speech in July 1918 on the very day he has learned the fate of his son, Quentin, who has been missing in action for two weeks after being shot down in a dogfight. The ex-president reflects on his life, his credos, and his feelings about the price of war.

Since it is all from Roosevelt's perspective it comes off as very self-aggrandizing and brushes past points that make him a problematic figure in history.

I sampled the video of the live performance, and the transition to graphic novel format improves on that by presenting the reader with actual illustrations from Roosevelt's life instead of an actor sitting or standing at various positions on a fairly sparse stage. On the other hand, the emotional weight Luckinbill is able to give to the monolgue at key moments doesn't always translate here, leaving the book feeling a bit flat and a little dull.

I doubt I'll ever watch the show in full, based on what I've seen so far.
Profile Image for Laura.
3,237 reviews101 followers
December 12, 2020
In July of 1918, Theodore Roosevelt found out that his son had been shot down in France, and died. That much is fact. As to whether he then gave the speech that this book is based on, I can not confirm, but the events that are spoken about in this book all happened, at least as reported by historians. That is to say, in the shape of a speech we get to learn about the life of Teddy Roosevelt, the youngest man to become president of the United States, at age 42.

A life well lived, and this "speech" goes over some of the highlights, as "told" by Teddy himself.

Interesting look at the life a remarkable man. Nicely illustrated, with images from photographs. A good introduction to Teddy's life.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,289 reviews32 followers
February 22, 2021
'Teddy' by Laurence Luckinbill with adaptation and art by Eryck Tait is a graphic novel about an aging US president who is looking back on his life.

Taking the premise of a 61 year old president Teddy Roosevelt giving a speech in 1918, this frames the story of the main character. From his close relationship to his father to the death of his first wife to his early days in politics. His platform was to strengthen the military, but at the time of this graphic novel, the navy has been weakened. Teddy has also received some more tragic personal news.

I couldn't find out if this speech was one that occurred, but it works well as a framing event for the story. The interior art is pretty good, using minimal colors and strong, simple lines. The cover doesn't do the inside justice.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Dead Reckoning and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Profile Image for Andrea Di Bernardo.
121 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2023
The book that I present to you today is not exactly a book, but a graphic novel that leads us to learn, through a literary device, about the life and political and human history of one of the greatest presidents in American history: Theodore Roosevelt.
This graphic novel starts by telling us about an old and now plagued by the disease (rheumatism) Roosevelt who presents himself in front of an audience in July 1918. The good old Teddy (plagued by ailments but just 60 years old) begins with his usual verve, leading to acquaintance of the spectators (and readers) the news just received of the shooting down of his son Quentin, at the time an aviator in the American expeditionary force in Europe, where the Great War entered in the last year. Starting from this preamble he goes back tracing his story as a fragile boy "cared for" by his father, a young scholar and curious, a young politician who breaks the mold and privileges, a war hero and political visionary who inaugurates the "American century. ".
The book, written by Laurence Luckinbill and illustrated by the beautiful illustrations of the artist Eryck Tait, is full of plates with a strong symbolic impact, which often insist on one of the great passions and great legacies of that great president: love for nature. In fact, Roosevelt was the first to give legislation that protected the nature of the United States. He also did so at the cost of abusing "executive orders" in reserving as much land as possible and protecting it from intensive exploitation.
But Roosevelt was also a great family man, a man in love (he had two wives Alice Lee, who died prematurely, and Edith Carow, with whom he had a total of 6 children) and present, as can also be seen from the text and the tables. He was a patriot who saw in the U.S.A. the lighthouse to which all other powers and nations would have looked in the search for a better world and future. A prolific writer and a great politician who carried out the great project of a canal in the Isthmus of Panama that connected the Atlantic and the Pacific to bring the US population closer together and increase traffic and trade. He was the instigator of a policy of great Fleet development with the construction of many ships that would one day take over the role of the British Empire on the seas of the world.
Roosevelt comes out of this story even stronger, even more human. Aware of his weaknesses (myopia, asthma) but also endowed in his spirit with the means to overcome every obstacle, to go ahead despite everything, doing his duty and then passing the torch to someone else who will follow suit. Roosevelt is an eternally positive character who has always had a similar narrative in the media, which makes him close to us despite the great charge and responsibility. Since "The Wind and the Lion", a beautiful film by Robert Milius with a masterful David Keith (portraying the President) contrasted with a great Sean Connery, up to comedies such as "A Night at the Museum" in which he is played by the late Robin Williams. Teddy is still a positive figure today who can serve for an even stronger civil commitment and this media with which he is presented today, the graphic novel, does nothing but renew that positive light aimed at him, indicating his example and his strength to the new generations.
Profile Image for Stephen.
556 reviews7 followers
February 6, 2021
NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

"July 1918. Preparing to speak to an eager audience, 61-year-old Teddy Roosevelt receives the telegram that all parents of children who serve in war fear most: His son Quentin’s plane has been shot down in a dogfight over France. His fate is unknown. Despite rising fear for his youngest son, Teddy takes the stage to speak to his beloved fellow citizens. It is, he says, “my simple duty.” But the speech evolves from politics and the war, into an examination of his life, the choices he’s made, and the costs of his “Warrior Philosophy.” --Official description"

Teddy Roosevelt is one of those Presidents that comes to mind when one thinks about the great orators that we have had in the past in that very office. I won’t get too political here, but recent events in the political world make me look back at old speeches and feel some weird sense of nostalgia for a time that is WAYYYY before my time – a time when The President was remarkable and gave intellectual lectures as speeches rather than ridiculous messes designed for sound-bites. This graphic novel, about Theodore Roosevelt, encapsulates this very well as it showcases a oration by Roosevelt that is intertwined with biographical information.

Despite being a history major, I am not 100% certain that this was an actual speech or if its pieced together from various speeches and ideas that Roosevelt espoused. Either way, the storytelling here is remarkable. The speech is right after Teddy has learned that his son is missing fighting Germans during WWI – he was told that giving a speech in his state of mind was likely a bad call, but he does it anyway. He talks about his rough upbringing as he was very sickly as a child. It was only through sheer perseverance and respect for his father that he was able to largely overcome most of his ailments or at least learn to keep them at bay.

Giving the speech as a former President, Roosevelt lashes out at President Woodrow Wilson, the man that unseated his chosen successor William Howard Taft, and himself when he attempted to run for a third term. Wilson is accused of causing deaths of many (including Teddy’s soon, not confirmed dead at this point) and paving the way for German domination of the world. The speech is fairly “hawkish” and really shows the mindset America was in at the time. The speech is peppered with an overview of Teddy’s life, and what it means to be a real patriot as well as other themes.

I absolutely loved the story here, and despite being skeptical of the format initially, it works very well. The art style, minimalist with blacks and blues, is great and not something you see too often. I’d love to see more of these made from other well-known speeches in the future. This is honestly a great book, as one could toss this into a school library or assign it as a class project, and I think kids would really gain a bit of extra understanding that merely just reading a speech or textbook does not allow. Definitely recommended!
Profile Image for Kate Waggoner.
418 reviews
January 24, 2021
Thank you to #Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of the graphic novel Teddy by Laurence Luckinbill. This book will be published in February 2021. All opinions are my own.

The narrative is set up as a speech given by Teddy Roosevelt in July 1918. This speech is delivered shortly after Roosevelt received the news that his son, Quentin, who was fighting in the war, had been shot done in an air fight over France. The speech evolved to not only cover politics, but also a reflection of his life, the choices he made, and the cost of his "Warrior Philosophy." The speech depicted in the novel, isn't an actual speech given by Roosevelt, rather it is a conglomeration and reflection of his thoughts, speeches, and philosophy.

I found this graphic novel to be very interesting. In school, I got the highlights reel about Roosevelt. While this book doesn't go super in-depth into his life, it does present events that I did not learn about it. It is a reflection of Roosevelt's life and choices and the effects they had on himself, the United States, and his family. The color choices for the graphic novel, at least the ARC version, are a little drab, but don't detract from enjoyment. I love learning about history and found the graphic novel format of this book to be appealing. This was a very quick and informative read.
8,965 reviews130 followers
December 13, 2020
While I am sure this is far too one-sided, I think this would work as a purchase for the school library shelf. The book loses its structure of a spoken address when it drifts into straight autobiography and talk of key events happening that very day, but the way we get to hear Roosevelt's voice comes across quite convincingly. He seems to have found fault in practically every other politician, or at least political side, but comes across as very hawkish when demanding sacrifice in the Great War and urging people to live to build a country worth laying your life down for. Visually, we're on to a winner, with a great direction and ease with breaking away from the lecture hall, presenting at times almost surreal visual asides to add to the storytelling. The monochrome blues and dark blacks don't add much colour to proceedings, but there's nothing lost when we have dynamism as seen here. So yes, it is a hagiography, and yes it is a bit woolly at times in how the text fails to keep to the remit of being a public talk, but I still think it's worth four stars.
Profile Image for Amy Sutton.
1,099 reviews62 followers
December 19, 2020
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most ambitious and impressive men in American history to me. This graphic novel was framed as a soliloquy of Roosevelt reflecting on his life, telling his own story and inspiring an audience. This was not a speech Roosevelt ever actually gave, but instead tried to capture his tone and voice to retell his life.

The graphics were lovely, all tones of grey and blue. There was a nice balance between poetic ruminations and factual events.

Due to the format of the graphic novel, it was difficult at times for everything to be fully explained. I found myself relying on background knowledge a lot, so I'm not sure if this would be quite as enjoyable for someone who's completely unfamiliar with the Roosevelt family. I'm also not sure that framing the story as a speech worked well; there were many times that it felt like a run on sentence for Roosevelt to elaborate on all aspects of his life and opinion within the same speech.
Profile Image for April Gray.
1,389 reviews9 followers
April 19, 2021
So, what this is is a graphic novel adaption of a one man show called Teddy Tonight, written and performed by Laurence Luckinbill. The setting is a speech Roosevelt is giving at the Republican State Convention at Saratoga, New York, the day after receiving word that his son, Quentin, has been shot down over enemy lines, with no word on what had happened to him. In the show, Roosevelt's speech becomes an account of his (Teddy's) life, and the art shifts between the stage set -a podium, a few pieces of furniture, and a teddy bear- and scenes from Roosevelt's life and political career. The story is told in an engaging way, and is quite interesting; admittedly, I knew very little about Teddy Roosevelt before reading this, and reading this does make me want to learn more about the man. I would definitely recommend giving this a read!
Also, if you're interested, the show is available to watch on Luckinbill's website.

#Teddy #NetGalley
Profile Image for Emmy.
2,503 reviews58 followers
April 11, 2023
When I think of Teddy Roosevelt, I think of a larger than life, impossible-to-frazzle giant of a man. Which is why, I suppose, I found this book so surprising and disarming. Yes, Roosevelt is presented in all his glory, a brave soldier, avid outdoorsman, and incorruptible politician. But, the book also gives you a Roosevelt who is vulnerable, kind, and gentle.

This book ranges from "laugh out loud" to a quiet sadness, and I found many moments to be surprisingly and deeply poignant. At one point, I almost started to cry.

Luckinbill and Tait did a wonderful job of bringing the 26th president to life. I truly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading it again sometime in the future. The storytelling is excellent and so is the art. If you're looking for an introduction to Roosevelt, or just want to learn more about the president, then this is a great book to pick up.
Profile Image for Robin Pelletier.
1,636 reviews10 followers
February 5, 2021
I haven't read many historic or nonfiction graphic novels. I need to make it a point to read more of them. This graphic novel was wonderful. I learned so much more about Mr. Teddy Roosevelt. I think it was pretty great to see history drawn out before me.

This graphic novel starts with Teddy's childhood and how his father pushed him to overcome all obstacles. It goes into this rough rider days. It follows him through his first marriage and his first daughter. This novel goes into his vice presidency to presidency. I got to watch his children grow up. We got a sneak peak of Franklin and Eleanor. We seem Teddy work with the Navy. We see Teddy's heart get broken from the news that his son passed during the war.

My only dislike was the time jumps. We start with Teddy giving a speech. It goes back and forth from the speech to the past and back to the speech.
Profile Image for Michelle "Champ".
1,014 reviews21 followers
January 26, 2021
I am convinced if more history was told in graphic novel form, no one would say "I hate history".
Teddy is a history book that is beautifully illustrated. Teddy himself will tell the tale of his life's story. He started telling us the story of his son that was just killed in WWI, but he transformed this speech into his life's story and how grand it is to live life for the USA.

The only thing I wish was that the dramatic illustrations had more color to emphasize certain points.
Profile Image for Dawn Ellis.
16 reviews3 followers
January 12, 2021
I love reading nonfiction graphic novels. I feel like I learn so much. This was the story of Teddy Roosevelt. It covered his childhood, adventures, wars, and presidency. I found it to be entertaining and beautifully drawn.
Profile Image for Dawn.
35 reviews
October 15, 2022
Great graphics. I’ve read a lot about TR and other than one or two things slightly out of date order, it was factual and fascinating.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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