Genealogy Books - Theodore Rex

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Customer Rating:

Summary: Bully! (In a good way, mostly)
Comment: This is the second in a projected three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, and is just a
delight to read. I felt while reading the book that I was inhabiting the White House in the first
years of the 20th century.

I agree with several reviewers here who said that the
first volume, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)was superior, but again,
that was terrific, and it is not always easy to follow great success. (Ask William Taft, TR's
successor)

And sometimes the journey beats the destination. In the first book
Roosevelt leads several different lives, and fulfills different roles as son, author, state
legislator, husband, father, widower, hunter, NYC Police Commissoner, NY Governor, and then Vice
President. It was hard not to feel cooped up in the White House after the rich, varied life he had
led before. It is no wonder he didn't pursue a third term in 1908, despite every indication he would
have won.

This second volume does not address TR's private life as thoroughly as did
the first. Morris may have felt he had already covered it in the first book, or more likely, that
doing them justice would have required another book. TR's second wife, Edith, was his first love.
They were school age sweethearts, broke up, after which TR abruptly married a younger woman, who
bore him a daughter before dying in a flu epidemic. TR subsequently married Edith. Methinks there is
a story there, but it is not dealt with in this book.

Instead Morris focuses almost
entirely on TR's public life and policies, which is certainly an understandable decision. The
battles with the corporations on creating anti-trust legislation, mediating to bring a cease-fire in
the Russo Japanese War and setting aside thousands of acres for national parks are all dealt with in
detail here.

The great thing about TR was that in addition to his raw energy, he was
also a first rate intellect. He is a biographer's dream and Morris has done a terrific job with
these two volumes. While he clearly admires his subject, he also shows him warts and all, when his
use of the bully pulpit sometimes turned into bullying behavior.

I highly recommend
both this book and its predecessor.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Good, but not as good as "The Rise"
Comment: I started this book right after reading "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Morris. While I was
riveted to the first book, this one took a little while longer to read. So much detail was given to
the politics of his office and the bills that were introduced, that it made for somewhat dry reading
in parts. Very informative, but not as thrilling as his life prior to his presidency.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Theodore Rex is an Inspirational Book
Comment: Theordore Rex is terrific history that reads nearly like a novel. It covers a seminal period of
American history, as well as giving great insight into the temper of the times through a wealth of
detail.

Roosevelt the man is revealed to be a highly complex character with decidely
Brahmin attributes, larger-than-life, and at the core, a decent human being.

Highly
recommended.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Delightful storytelling on the most unique President in history
Comment: It is difficult not to come away from "Theodore Rex" impressed. Indeed, after I read just the first
few pages, I was completely hooked. In "Theodore Rex," Edmund Morris hasn't just written a great
book about TR's presidential years, he's drawn in vivid, rich, delightful detail a great story about
America's most unique modern President. While I won't say this book is as good or substantive as
say David McCullough's "Truman" (and in a sense, it doesn't need to be since "Truman" rehabilitated
President Truman's place in history whereas TR's strong place among our greatest executives has been
well-established for some time), I can't imagine anyone writing a more engaging, fascinating book
about TR's years in the White House.

I strongly disagree with the reviewers who have
argued that "Theodore Rex" does not give the reader a great sense or understanding of TR himself.
In his stories and descriptions of TR in his relations with family, allies, cabinet members,
Congress, the press, and his enemies, Morris has drawn a strong as well as complex portrait of the
26th President. He was all at once a brilliant man and surprisingly well-read in a multitude of
different fields of literature, a skilled outdoorsman who loved not only to hunt big game -- a
lasting image even today -- but to just spend weeks on end outdoors watching, documenting, and
enjoying nature, a loving family man who doted on his six children and wife, a shewd politician for
his day who was keenly aware of political strategy and worked hard to bolster his party's strength
in Congress and across America, and perhaps most of all a plain and powerful force of nature (using
the description of Henry Adams) who in many ways defied explanation or analysis from many learned
observers of his day who had simply never seen or encountered any one quite like Theodore Roosevelt.
In sum, therefore, Morris does a great job in "Theodore Rex" not just of telling a great story, but
also in crafting a superb, rich picture of the first President Roosevelt.

After
reading the book, I was struck by the belief that TR really was the perfect leader for America as it
was becoming a world super power at the dawn of the 20th Century. Despite being perceived as an
accidental President and a ruffian cowboy, TR's boundless reserve of energy turned out to the
perfect tonic to lead the U.S. In turn, he was received with open arms by Americans, and could have
easily been elected to another term in 1908 had he decided to run again. Furthermore, "Theodore
Rex" only reinforced my belief that TR could have been a great leader of America today. His energy,
optimism, strength in the face of enemies both foreign and domestic, uncorruptability (if such a
word exists!), and deep compassion for others were timeless qualities.

"Theodore Rex"
is a top-notch political biography, certainly up there with some of my favorites including "Huey
Long" by T. Harry Williams, the LBJ series by Robert Caro, and "Truman" by McCullough.
Incidentally, while the book is not particularly heavy on academic analysis of TR's policies,
particular attention is paid to numerous key events including TR's negotiation of peace in the
Russo-Japanese War, his formulation of the Northern Securities case and greater government
regulation of big businesses, his strong determination towards national conservation, and even TR's
cautious (and albeit limited) steps to embrace Booker T. Washington and greater rights and
protections for blacks at the turn of the century.

Let me close out this way. I like
to consider myself a fairly good writer, but reading work like this shows me I'm pretty much
nothing. If I could write like anyone, I would like to possess Edmund Morris' unparalleled ability
to tell a story. "Theodore Rex" flows perfectly and the prose runs like butter. Reading his work
in "Theodore Rex" is a pleasure.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Roosevelt Jumps Off The Page
Comment: Theodore Roosevelt was such an engaging personality that it would've been very hard to make this
book anything less than terrific, and the well-written prose takes things to a very high level. The
pages rolled by quickly, and I regularly found myself thinking "How in the world did this man
accomplish so much with his life and his Presidency?" From the early battles with Mark Hanna to the
final return of the Great White Fleet, Morris follows the endlessly energetic Roosevelt through the
highs and lows of his (almost) two terms. His careful attention to details of Roosevelt's private
life adds even more color to the man.

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