A review by sonofthunder
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

5.0

What a spectacular biography. Well actually this is part 1 (of 3) of Morris's Roosevelt biography, but I haven't read the rest thus far(on volume 2 now!). This volume covers the life of Teddy Roosevelt from his birth up to the moment he becomes President...and what a read it is. Roosevelt is one of those singular personalities that you almost can't believe was a real person. Larger than life in almost every dimension, Roosevelt is endlessly fascinating to read about. I'm slightly scared to write my thoughts about this book because I assuredly cannot do this book justice. What I can say about this book is that if you ever think biographies are boring or not easy to read...well, you need to give this one a try. It is engaging to the max. I read this book in under a week (ok not boasting here! Well...maybe boasting a little) and literally could not put this book down at night, even though I knew I needed to get to bed since it was a work night...yet chapter after chapter just flew by, so much did this book suck me in. Roosevelt is a character. That is an understatement. Reading about his life was exhilarating, yet also I must confess it can get slightly discouraging as you read about all that Roosevelt did with his life...it can cause questions to rise in your own mind, "What am I doing with my own life!?" Roosevelt was driven to constantly improve himself. He loved reading and read on a wide variety of subjects and had incredible retention for what he read(he almost certainly must have had a photographic memory!! ...at least that's my belief) and he just loved to learn. His breadth of knowledge (if possibly not his depth) was immense. But he wasn't just a bookworm - he thrived in the great outdoors...as a rancher, cowboy, hunter...yes hunter. He killed oh so many animals. Yet he also was an ardent conservationist who loved the woods, loved birds and mourned to see the vanishing of America's unspoiled territories. He was from a rich family and had means far beyond most of us. Yet he didn't rest on his laurels or wait for his inheritance...he worked up through the ranks of a political career (after university in Harvard, of course) and so driven was he that he caused an impression on all those he worked with. He could be (most certainly was) overbearing and probably impossible to tolerate at times. But you know what? He got things done. He worked harder and smarter than pretty much everyone around him. He was a man of great passion, a man who almost shut down after the deaths of his father and young bride Alice...but somehow, somehow carried on with life and kept pressing on. Was he perfect? By no means. He would be considered today (and even was considered then) as nationalistic, jingoistic, selfish, elitist, spoiled, snobbish and racist. He was not a perfect man. I'm grateful to Morris for showing us the many facets of this ever-complicated man. Reading about Roosevelt definitely spurs me on to consider what I'm doing with my life. I may not (most certainly do not) have his skill set or personality, but surely I can live in such a way that reflects Roosevelt's sheer joy of living. This biography is purely magnificent - both educational and endlessly interesting. I can't wait to finish off volume 2 and greatly look forward to re-reading this one sometime in the future.