▶▶▶ The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks) Review

Bottom line: this was one of the finest, if not the finest, books I've ever read.

Having read this book's successor, "Theodore Rex," previously (which I reviewed favorably), I figured this book would be similarly dense and, though enjoyable, somewhat challenging at times. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I read this book in about two weeks despite its length (albiet with very little else to do), and I was easily reading over 50 pages in a sitting. Morris tells TR's life story with such passion and vitality that it is easy to forget that you are reading about a real-life character. Early on, some of TR's exploits are hard to relate to, as he was a typical upper-class young man of the day whose experiences are totally foreign, extravagant, and, to be frank, downright strange (the word "twit" kept popping in my mind throughout the first hundred pages or so).

That said, Morris still makes things interesting and it is once Roosevelt starts going on his trips to the West and running for the New York Assembly that the story really comes to light. TR's life is nothing short of incredible, and Morris does such a great job at pointing out the major events in his life that I had no problem distinguishing what TR did during each phase of his life, both professional and personal. My favorite part of the book was towards the end (it kept getting better), when TR becomes Assistant Secretary of the Navy and leads the Rough Riders across Cuba, thought Morris discusses episodes from throughout his life. Punching out deadly cowboys, killing wild beasts, facing down Indians and bandits, and running through a hail of Spanish rifle fire stand out in my mind, but there are countless examples of Roosevelt's unbelivable exploits, all tied together masterfully in this book.

Morris's greatest achievement in this book is making the reader truly want to be like Roosevelt. Especially if you are in some sort of leadership or managerial position, this is a must read. Roosevelt had his weaknesses, to be sure, but his strengths come to light in Morris's account, and I actually found myself striving to be like Roosevelt at work (trust me, this has never happened to me before after reading a book, particularly regarding someone that died nearly a century ago). Roosevelt is the embodiment of a born leader. He overcame adversity (physically, at least) from birth, took unpopular stances consistently throughout his distinguished career, yet still won over those for whom he was responsible and did things others deemed impossible.

I would reccomend this to anybody. Read this book. You won't regret it.