The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Part 2

Rating:
Summary: Epic biography of one of the truly great men in U.S. History
Review: Certainly Theodore Roosevelt is one of the best known Presidents and best known men in history of the United States. His exploits as a frontiersman, his courage in leading the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War, and his storied achievements as a career politician (from state assemblyman all the way up to President) are all well known. However, most of what people know about 'T.R.' is limited to sound bite quality historical facts. It's not a common occurrence for people to invest the time in reading any number of lengthy and ponderous biographies about Roosevelt. It is important to do so, though, to understand the man and the best way to accomplish that is to read Edmund Morris' sweeping epic "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt".

These days, Morris may be better known for his the controversy created by his pseudo-biography of Ronald Reagan, "Dutch". Questionable though his literary choice may have been in that instance, lest anyone forget that Morris is a gifted, respected, and accomplished writer. "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is the first in planned trilogy about the life of the famous 'Bull Moose' ("Theodore Rex" deals with his years as President and the third book has yet to be published). "The Rise..." gives the reader an intimate look into life of T.R. Culled from public records and private diaries and correspondences, this book focuses as much of the 'why' of Roosevelt's actions as the 'what'.

In "The Rise...", one learns that it was the horrible experience of his father's attempt to be confirmed for New York collections commissioner (a strenuous experience that may have led to the elder's death) that formed the basis of Theodore's hatred of 'machine' politics and his lifelong dedication to Civil Service and political reform. His famed political battles throughout his life can be traced back to the trauma of that experience and Morris does well to capture the emotion and impact that had on T.R. Teddy's relationship with his father is explored deeply in the earlier chapters and reveals a lot of what made him the man he became. As he was burdened with ill-health as a youngster, his father frequently took him into the wilderness and open country to improve his health. It was there that Teddy's health improved and a fierce love of the outdoors began. It was a love that manifested itself in years of annual trips out west to hunt, farm, and cultivate the outdoors. Much of what he learned from this led Roosevelt to become the staunch conservationist who was responsible for much of the legislation protecting national wildlife. In addition the exposure to the wild, Roosevelt's father also impressed upon him the importance of a classical education and, as a result, T.R. became a voracious reader with an appetite for any and all knowledge.

Those are just a few examples from the early of life of Roosevelt that Morris recreates so vividly. Other areas filled with greater depth than in other books included Roosevelt's first marriage to Alice Lee and the traumatic effect her sudden death had on him. It also highlights the various highs and lows Roosevelt encountered throughout his storied, pre-Presidential political career. Registering at just under 800 pages, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is an amazing biography and well worth the time invested to read. Few books can transcend the typical fact-based monotony of most biographies of long-dead historical figures. Yet, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", dealing strictly with his years before becoming President, is just such a transcendent book.

Rating:
Summary: 6 Stars... a 'dee-lightful' masterpiece
Review: I had no idea that I would love this book as much as I did. I had no idea this book was as good as it is. I've never read a biography that drew me in so completely from the first paragraph of the first page of the prologue. I absolutely savored each page of "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and while President Roosevelt's life is fascinating, it is Mr. Morris' unique style of story-telling that made reading this book such a joy. I doubt I would have enjoyed as much a TR biography written by another.

I knew very little about Roosevelt going into this book and I can't understand why, as a New Yorker, I never learned about this most remarkable New Yorker in school. Children should learn his story - it's an exciting adventure that could ignite a lifelong love of history in a child.

In my opinion, the thing that makes "The Rise..." great is that Edmund Morris worked so hard to convey his enthusiasm for his subject through his writing. His fascination with TR is contagious. I caught it immediately and am so glad that I did.

Roosevelt was simply amazing. A true Renaissance Man. He overcame childhood illness with sheer will and determination. He authored books on subjects as wide-ranging as naval history, ornithology, the West. He took the New York Assembly by storm at 23. He was (to name a few things) a rancher, a mayoral candidate, a reformer, a police commissioner, an assistant Secretary of the Navy. And then came the Spanish-American War and his heroic stint as leader of the Rough Riders. He was semi-reluctantly drafted to be McKinley's Vice President and "The Rise..." takes us up to the days after an assassin's bullets felled McKinley and Roosevelt was (at 42) on the brink of the Presidency as McKinley hovered near death.

I can't imagine the 21-year wait for "Theodore Rex" - it is a luxury to jump seamlessly from this book to its sequel, as I have.

Although there is so much to this book, one thing I found particularly interesting in terms of the insight it offered into Roosevelt's maturity, wisdom, ambition and keen awareness of how to use the media came from his days as a New York Police Department Commissioner. There was a rarely enforced Sunday Excise Law which prohibited the Sunday sale of alcoholic beverages. Roosevelt sought to enforce the law without exception. It caused an uproar - he was absolutely hated by some (yet loved by others - temperance groups). But he wanted to expose corruption in the ranks and he was savvy enough to realize that sometimes any publicity is good publicity. And he was giving a lesson to legislators as well. "Roosevelt argued that honest enforcement of an unpopular law was the most effective way to bring about its repeal. Legislators should think twice about passing laws to favor some voters, then neglecting them to please others." (p.520) The lawmakers were trying to have it both ways, in passing a law to gain favor with the pro-temperance rural vote yet not enforcing it in order to cater to the tavern owners and those opposed to the law. Roosevelt exposed their scheme and cleaned up the ranks of the police department in one fell swoop. And he kept his name in the papers, gaining widespread notoriety.

"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" is a wonderful book that richly deserved all the accolades it received. Morris makes other very talented biographers pale in comparison. You will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Facinating Life- Interesting Book
Review: Out of all of our Presidents Theodore Roosevelt may have had the most interesting life- the son of a prominent New Yorker, he lost his wife after she gave birth to their child and fled to North Dakota to become a rancher. He returned to become U.S. Civil Service Commissioner, NYC's Police Chief, UnderSecretary of the Navy, hero of the Spanish-American War, Governor of New York, and then Vice-President and President.

TR's life is all here. Morris takes the reader through his life all the way to his assent to the Presidency. Morris' prose is quite readable. The reader gets a sense, early on, that this is not your typical biography but something different- a narrative on the life of a great leader as opposed to a meticulous analysis of his upbringing. Morris is often vauge on what makes TR tick, but does an excellant job telling us what TR did. Very good.

Rating:
Summary: dscyoung
Review: Outstanding! McCullough and others have done wonderful things with Presidential biographies; however, Morris has brought Roosevelt alive like no other. The struggles young Roosevelt endured are a inspiration. His genius is detailed in true color. I couldn't wait to pick up Theodore Rex. Looking for a hero in todays rough and tumble? Look no further than TR.