Theodore Rex

See Larger Image	Manufacturer: Random House Written By: Edmund Morris Average Customer Rating:


Binding: Hardcover Format: Bargain Price Label: Random House Manufacturer: Random House Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 784 Publication Date: 2001-11-20 Publisher: Random House Release Date: 2001-11-20 Studio: Random House
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Editorial Reviews: The most eagerly awaited presidential biography in years, Theodore Rex is a sequel to Edmund Morris’s classic bestseller The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. It begins by following the new President (still the youngest in American history) as he comes down from Mount Marcy, New York, to take his emergency oath of office in Buffalo, one hundred years ago. A detailed prologue describes TR’s assumption of power and journey to Washington, with the assassinated President McKinley riding behind him like a ghost of the nineteenth century. (Trains rumble throughout this irresistibly moving narrative, as TR crosses and recrosses the nation.) Traveling south through a succession of haunting landscapes, TR encounters harbingers of all the major issues of the new century-Imperialism, Industrialism, Conservation, Immigration, Labor, Race-plus the overall challenge that intimidated McKinley: how to harness America’s new power as the world’s richest nation. Theodore Rex (the title is taken from a quip by Henry James) tells the story of the following seven and a half years-years in which TR entertains, infuriates, amuses, strong-arms, and seduces the body politic into a state of almost total subservience to his will. It is not always a pretty story: one of the revelations here is that TR was hated and feared by a substantial minority of his fellow citizens. Wall Street, the white South, Western lumber barons, even his own Republican leadership in Congress strive to harness his steadily increasing power. Within weeks of arrival in Washington, TR causes a nationwide sensation by becoming the first President to invite a black man to dinner in the White House. Next, he launches his famous prosecution of the Northern Securities Company, and follows up with landmark antitrust legislation. He liberates Cuba, determines the route of the Panama Canal, mediates the great Anthracite Strike, and resolves the Venezuela Crisis of 1902-1903 with such masterful secrecy that the world at large is unaware how near the United States and Germany have come to war. During an epic national tour in the spring of 1903, TR’s conservation philosophy (his single greatest gift to posterity) comes into full flower. He also bestows on countless Americans the richness of a personality without parallel-evangelical and passionate, yet lusty and funny; adroitly political, winningly natural, intellectually overwhelming. The most famous father of his time, he is adored by his six children (although beautiful, willful “Princess” Alice rebelled against him) and accepted as an honorary member of the White House Gang of seditious small boys. Theodore Rex, full of cinematic detail, moves with the exhilarating pace of a novel, yet it rides on a granite base of scholarship. TR’s own voice is constantly heard, as the President was a gifted letter writer and raconteur. Also heard are the many witticisms, sometimes mocking, yet always affectionate, of such Roosevelt intimates as Henry Adams, John Hay, and Elihu Root. (“Theodore is never sober,” said Adams, “only he is drunk with himself and not with rum.”) TR’s speed of thought and action, and his total command of all aspects of presidential leadership, from bureaucratic subterfuge to manipulation of the press, make him all but invincible in 1904, when he wins a second term by a historic landslide. Surprisingly, this victory transforms him from a patrician conservative to a progressive, responsible between 1905 and 1908 for a raft of enlightened legislation, including the Pure Food and Employer Liability acts. Even more surprising, to critics who have caricatured TR as a swinger of the Big Stick, is his emergence as a diplomat. He wins the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing about an end to the Russo-Japanese War in 1905. Interspersed with many stories of Rooseveltian triumphs are some bitter episodes-notably a devastating lynching-that remind us of America’s deep prejudices and fears. Theodore Rex does not attempt to justify TR’s notorious action following the Brownsville Incident of 1906-his worst mistake as President-but neither does this resolutely honest biography indulge in the easy wisdom of hindsight. It is written throughout in real time, reflecting the world as TR saw it. By the final chapter, as the great “Teddy” prepares to quit the White House in 1909, it will be a hard-hearted reader who does not share the sentiment of Henry Adams: “The old house will seem dull and sad when my Theodore has gone.”
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Very worthy effort that leaves me wanting more, not less, Comment: Don't misunderstand, this was a very good book, but it left me a little flat, because it wasn't--long enough. I know, 772 pages is plenty long, but 220 pages of that are notes and index. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks) by the same author, covering the years of his life up to the presidency, seemed to complete a more detailed portrait of that phase of TR's life. This book seemed to brush over the eight presidential years in watercolor fashion, much like the jacket portrait of Teddy at repose in soft focus. Still, this is a very worthy effort that leaves me wanting more, not less, about this amazing "dynamogenic" man who as President just devoured the landscape around him (literally and figuratively), and seldom stood at repose in soft focus. It is not a wonder that Ronald Reagan found Roosevelt his model for governing, and it is clear that after Lincoln and Washington, Roosevelt must stand as the President guiding his country through the most perilous times with the strongest hand. Customer Rating: Summary: An Excellent Portrait of a Great President Comment: Edmund Morris's second book in a projected three volume set about Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent tome, meticulously researched and extremely well-written. The years are pivotal in American history, from 1901 through 1909 as America becomes more involved in world affairs. Roosevelt was a larger than life character in his interests and ambitions. Morris makes superb use of TR's papers and other documents to render an accurate portrait of one of America's most beloved and energetic presidents. He makes ample use of the archives of Roosevelts observes like John Hay, William Howard Taft and others. Roosevelt was the youngest president and the books bursts with his mesmerizing accomplishments such as Western conservation, author, monopoly busting, Republican advances in race and labor as well as his quiet sponsorship of a revolution in Colombian province called Panama - where he later built that little canal. This was in an era when "Progressive" meant forward thinking rather than the socialist-left wing concept of today. He mediated war between Russia and Japan, bringing the office of the Presidency into international affairs. Customer Rating: Summary: An Excellent Portrait of a Great President Comment: Edmund Morris's second book in a projected three volume set about Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent tome, meticulously researched and extremely well-written. The years are pivotal in American history, from 1901 through 1909 as America becomes more involved in world affairs. Roosevelt was a larger than life character in his interests and ambitions. Morris makes superb use of TR's papers and other documents to render an accurate portrait of one of America's most beloved and energetic presidents. He makes ample use of the archives of Roosevelts observes like John Hay, William Howard Taft and others. Roosevelt was the youngest president and the books bursts with his mesmerizing accomplishments such as Western conservation, author, monopoly busting, Republican advances in race and labor as well as his quiet sponsorship of a revolution in Colombian province called Panama - where he later built that little canal. This was in an era when "Progressive" meant forward thinking rather than the socialist-left wing concept of today. He mediated war between Russia and Japan, bringing the office of the Presidency into international affairs. Customer Rating: Summary: A Window into Roosevelt's Presidency Comment: I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it difficult to put down and on the rare occasions I did, I could not wait to pick it up again. Morris managed to bring back to life a pivotal period in the history of the United States through the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. While reading, I always felt as though I was standing by T.R.'s side simply watching the events unfold. Morris' storytelling style made for easy reading. I felt the highlights were in his handling of the Anthracite Coal Strike, the Northern Securities scandal, and the origins of the "Teddy" Bear, among others. However, the opening sequence detailing his journey to Buffalo, NY following the assassination of McKinley provides a fantastic jumping off point for the fast-paced presidency he was about to take on. Reading a book like this really makes a person long for the honest, hard-working political figures of the past. It makes modern-day politics look even more corrupt by comparison. Bottom line: do yourself a favor and read this book. 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. More Reviews