Rating: 
Summary: Theodore Rex
Review: A riveting biography of one of America's most interesting characters, who happened to end up as President. I was amused, surprised and occasionaly shocked by some of the lesser known events in TR's life. Yet, I was thrilled by the author's honest portrayal of the man. Edmund Morris dispells the commonly accepted caricature of TR as the cowboy who became President. Please note that in order to obtain full enjoyment of this wonderful read, you should finish "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" prior to "Theodore Rex". Both of these works are simply "Dee-lightful".
Rating:
Summary: Legendary President
Review: Originally Reviewed on October 31, 2003
If you are looking for an inspirational character that lived the life of a legend, look no further. Crisply written, and an enjoyable read. The man's energy sped me past details that may have slowed the book down a bit. Michael Duranko, Bootism: a shoe religion
www.bootism.com
Rating:
Summary: Accessible intelligence
Review: Edmund Morris has written one of the most intelligent pieces of popular literature on one of the greatest presidents. Morris writes in a fashion that is destined to bring Theodore Roosevelt off the pages and into the mind of the reader in such a way that forgetting this piece of history is something that is just not possible. Morris' well researched account of the life Theodore as president (almost 200 pages in notes) is what is needed in modern accounts of history. Not only is it factually accurate, but is also accessible to the good readers of society.
Rating: 
Summary: Legendary President
Review: If you are looking for an inspirational character that lived the life of a legend, look no further. Crisply written, and an enjoyable read. The man's energy sped me past details that may have slowed the book down a bit.
Michael Duranko, Bootism: a shoe religion
Rating:
Summary: Power and charm
Review: Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. Highly recommended. Theodore Rex (from the dubbing given Theodore Roosevelt by author Henry James) is the second part of a trilogy-in-progress by Edmund Morris but is easily read on its own as coverage of Roosevelt's presidential terms. This installment covers Roosevelt's life from the day of McKinley's assassination and his swearing-in to seven years, one hundred sixty-nine days later, when he departs Washington, D.C., by train and "did not show himself [at Baltimore], as if to emphasize to a small, wistful crowd that he was no longer public property." Roosevelt's partial and whole terms are set during a time of unsettling transition-rapid developments in military technologies and abilities, influx of immigrants from Slavs to Japanese, growing global trade and interdependencies, spreading racial violence, uncontrolled combinations and trusts and corporate greed, and an increased awareness of the mismanagement of and need to conserve natural resources. In Theodore Rex, reflecting the logistics of Congress and the waning powers of a president not returning to office, the shorter first term covers more pages than the full second term. During his presidency, Roosevelt adds the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, begins the Panama Canal after nudging Panamanian independence, supports the liberation of Cuba, resolves a Moroccan crisis, prevents a German-Venezuelan war and all that would imply, settles the Russo-Japanese conflict and wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts, balances capital (much to its chagrin) and labor, rebuilds the U.S. Navy and solidifies the U.S. as a world diplomatic and military leader, and preserves an unprecedented amount of land (including five national parks, thirteen national forests, and fifteen national monuments-the Grand Canyon and Muir Woods among them). Morris shows, through personal and family writings, the letters of friends and enemies, speeches, newspaper accounts, commentary (especially that of "Mr. Dooley"-Finley Peter Dunne), and other contemporary sources Roosevelt's intelligence, erudition, strength of will, personal conviction of righteousness, foresight, and uncanny ability to manipulate everyone from the media to senators and diplomats. He is a man who knows what he wants, that what he wants is right, and how to make what he wants happen. His determination and conviction lead to greatly expanded executive power-which in his mind is not incompatible or inconsistent with democracy. He has his weaknesses, too-most notably, an utter lack of understanding of business, finance, and the markets. Although Roosevelt achieves much that directly benefits the public (such as settling the United Mine Workers strike and passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906) and earns popular support bordering on adulation, neither he nor his wisdom is perfect. Morris darkly hints that Roosevelt's enemies may have found their privacy compromised, for examples, senators who find their correspondence has already been opened by the Secret Service, although he later casts doubt on Roosevelt's involvement. More importantly, he discusses the Brownsville (Texas) incident at length, which reveals what can happen when democracy is subverted and power is abused. Roosevelt orders three entire companies of black soldiers-including at least one career soldier with whom he had served in Cuba-dishonorably discharged and banned from the military for life based on an incident that may have been fabricated by resentful white townspeople. Morris writes, "Brownsville had been proof to many, and perhaps even a warning to himself, of the truth of Lord Acton's famous dictum." Morris succeeds in bringing not only Theodore Roosevelt and his compelling personality to life, but those of many others as well: wife Edith Kermit Roosevelt; daughter Alice; son Quentin; House Speaker Joseph Cannon; United Mine Workers president John Mitchell; Cabinet members such as John Hay, Philander Chase Knox, Elihu Root, and George Cortelyou; long-time nemesis Mark Hanna; successor William Howard Taft ("who must have been a very pink and white baby," according to Kate Carew); and confidantes such as Captain Archie Butt. Theodore Rex is not limited to political life, however. Roosevelt is portrayed not only as a writer, reader, hunter/sportsman, adventurer, hiker, swimmer, and athlete. He is shown as a difficult father to Alice (who resents his silence about her own mother, the late Alice Hathaway Roosevelt), didactic disciplinarian to Quentin (along with his "White House Gang" of friends), and favourite uncle to broods of Roosevelt clan children at his Sagamore Hill summer retreat in Oyster Bay, New York. Even in his family relations, however, Roosevelt is always mindful of his image and that of his progressive platform, hence, his "posterity letters"-seemingly personal letters to family and friends, often signed with his full name, he uses to document his viewpoints for posterity. Morris is clearly passionate about Roosevelt, and it shows in the life he brings to events that are more than one hundred years old. Whether you are interested in American history, the U.S. presidency and its holders, turn-of-the-century events, or Theodore Roosevelt himself, Theodore Rex is not to be missed for its honest portrayal of a complex man in changing times and for the light it throws on today's political climate and workings. Be sure to read the notes, which contain many anecdotes, quotes, and other material. Diane L. Schirf, 18 October 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Bully
Review: It is a wonderful book about an incredible man. It is an easy read while being very educational.
Rating:
Summary: A Bully Book
Review: It's written by Edmund Morris so it reads like a novel. It's about Teddy Roosevelt so it feels like a roller coaster ride. What else does one need to say?
Rating: 
Summary: incredible information, messy details.
Review: I got the book as a present, and i must say it is incredibly documented, and organised into a very enjoyable read. However, being from Panama, I was of course most interested in what the author had to say about Roosevelt's part on the independence of Panama. Unfortunately, the author exposes the same story told over and over again of Panama's revolution, and with many errors of detail, including the fact that they were called Istmenos, not Istmusenos!!! The war going on in Colombia and Panama during from 1900 to 1902 was not "another revolutionary attempt of Panama to separate", it was another civil war between the liberal and conservative parties, the nth in Colombian history. The most important ommision in this issue is that the author "forgets" to mention, that the Hay-Herran treaty was so abusive of Colombian sovereignty that no self-respecting Colombian would approve of it, thats why it got completely rejected in the Colombian Senate. Its terms were completely favourable to the States, and with their history of interventions in Colombian and LatinAMerican territory, who could trust them? It was only after the rejection of the treaty, and only then, that the Panamanian oligarchy decided it was time to separate from Colombia. The whole story about Colombian subjugation and humilliation of people living in Panama was made up after the fact to accomodate the reasons given for independence. Instead, Morris aligns with Roosevelt and his cronies in saying that the Colombian senate rejected the treaty because it was too greedy and corrupt! The author also "fails" to mention the scandalous accusations Pulitzer's people made on the whole Panama deal about Roosevelt and his cronies benefitting from the biggest real estate deal in history, and how Roosevelt was so mad he sued Pulitzer for libel, which included a full Congressional investigation!!! Its a bit too much of a rosy view, huh?? I know the Panama Canal issue was not the main one in the book, but if he has these erros in the "fine print", I wonder what other issues have been misrepresented. Otherwise, it is a very enjoyable read, although id go somewhere else for historical accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: Detailed look at the Bully Presidency
Review: Edmund Morris has had an interesting career as a writer. A native Rhodesian (the African country dominated by whites, and replaced by the currently unstable Zimbabwe) he emigrated first to South Africa, then Britain, finally the United States. He then became a full time writer, and for his first book, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" won a Pulitzer for biography. He was then appointed Reagan's official biographer (Reagan read the previous book and liked it) and produced "Dutch", a worthwhile addition to the library of books about Reagan, but one that will remain controversial because of the way Morris treated the subject, and the format in which he wrote the book. Morris's next book is the current one being reviewed, "Theodore Rex." This book covers his presidency, from the succession to the office on the death of William McKinley to his leaving office seven and a half years later. There is a great deal of detail about his life in office, his relations with his family and contemporaries, and the legislative issues that confronted him. The author, while pro-Roosevelt, isn't blindly so. There are instances in the book where he clearly disagrees with what the President did, and is critical of him in consequence. Most notable is the Brownsville Texas incident, where Roosevelt and the high command of the army decided that some black soldiers were guilty of rioting on the streets of that city, and the president decided to cashier the whole unit from the army without court martial or anything. Other characters of the administration are well-drawn and interesting. These include Elihu Root, who held various cabinet positions, and could earn more money on Wall Street, John Hay, who had been personal secretary to Abraham Lincoln forty years before and seen three presidents be assasinated, William Howard Taft, the overweight Secretary of War Roosevelt chose as his successor, and Oliver Wendell Holmes, the Supreme Court Justice who wasn't quite as dependable on cases before the court as Roosevelt thought he was. The issues of the day are carefully delineated in enough detail to satisfy the reader and still not be boring. The coal miner's strike, the Great White Fleet, various war scares, the negotiations that ended the Russo-Japanese War, all are dealt with carefully, and intelligently. The whole of Roosevelt's presidency is here, and interesting. I do have a few issues. The author has an unusual pedigree (see above) and it shows in his penchant for using strange words and phrases. Some of them (a lame duck congress quacking its last, for instance) are amusing, but others are just weird. Nouns become adverbs, sentences are long or clumsy, and it's occasionally difficult to tell what the author meant by something. Also, the way the book is constructed is sort of strange. The author uses short, choppy sections at points to illustrate things. And lastly, the author recounts events and occurances that don't seem to have much, or anything, to do with Roosevelt. One anecdote involves Woodrow Wilson telling a racist joke, another recounts briefly the Wright Brothers flying their airplane the first time. One is occasionally left wondering why they're in the book. All in all, though, I enjoyed this book a great deal, and would recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Insight into King Teddy
Review: Edmund Morris won me back with this terrific read. I'll confess that I wasn't the biggest fan of "Dutch," and was somewhat hesitant to read this, but he stepped up to the plate and delivered a masterpiece. Theodore Roosevelt was truly a man years ahead of his time in many aspects. His view on conservation issues, his racial views, and his desire to assert the United States as a player in world affairs were truly fitting for a president at the turn of the last century. Roosevelt balanced so many delicate issues while in office. Worker's rights were just beginning to really take center stage and he found himself thrust in the midst of labor vs. management disputes--an issue that had the potential of wrecking his winning the Republican nomination. As always, he worked his magic, asserting himself and arriving at a mutual agreement. With the Civil War still looming fresh in many minds, and the South still embittered over Reconstruction, Roosevelt also found himself forced to deal with racial issues. His approach, though somewhat suffering from the bigoted mindset that seemed the norm in that day, was to appoint the best people to fill government positions--whether they be white or black. If he worked to hard to appease white Democrats, he risked upsetting black Republicans who once again had the potential of costing him the Republican nomination. The way he dealt with the Germans and British over Venezuela certainly established the supremecy of the Monroe Doctrine. He also managed to avoid a war with Germany, something that we all know would eventually be unavoidable. He faced many of the same issues faced by the Bush Administration today. Race and charges of imperialism. Cuba, the Phillipines, and Puerto Rico could easily subsitute for Afghanistan, Liberia, and Iraq. That being said, it's certainly relevant to today's world and a fascinating read on an amazing man.
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