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A review by acarman1
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
4.0
This volume marked a triumph for me in that I realized recently I had already read books 1 and 3 of the trilogy. Now I have read them all. Edmund Morris is a very engaging writer who can make even the minutiae of international diplomacy and backroom political dealing read with urgency. Theodore Roosevelt really comes alive in these pages as the true force of nature he was. Strong emphasis is given to his focus on balance in international relations and his drive to establish the United States on the world scene as a first rate power. The bulk of the book deals with his quest to establish the Panama Canal and all the wheeling and dealing that went with that. But his involvement with civil rights, conservation and fighting the excesses of big business are also dealt with thoroughly and in a fascinating fashion. Those who mourn the loss of Roosevelt's equestrian statue outside the Natural History Museum would do well to note that the modern United States has turned its back on all his most cherished ideals: social protections for the poor and working class, rules regulating big business, clean politics, environmental protections and a firm commitment to international alliances. I think Roosevelt would be more dismayed by that than by what happened to a statue of him.
If there is a drawback to this book, it is that Morris does tend to get a little too celebratory at times and give short shrift to Roosevelt's errors. The discussion of his horrific persecution of the Brownsville soldiers, his move away from Booker T. Washington in an attempt to win votes in the white supremacist South and the dirty deals he cut to get the Panama Canal done is very quick and tends to be accompanied by excuses rather than simply admitting Roosevelt was wrong. In particular, the discussion of Brownsville and also the abuses of American soldiers in the Philippines would have allowed an opportunity to notice that TAFT and not Roosevelt correctly assessed the situation and urged his chief to do the right thing, but Roosevelt could not countenance the embarrassment of the "good old boys" running the military. Morris does admit that TR, for all his great qualities, was still a man of his time with the racial and ethnic prejudices of a wealthy white man in NYC, but these could have been explored more to give a little balance to the picture. Roosevelt, warts and all, as it were.
Still all in all, this three-volume series IS the standard on Theodore Roosevelt. Despite being hulking books, they are well worth the time to read and anyone serious about understanding the life and legacy of our 26th president would do well to look at them. Put the time in rather than look for caricatures. The real man was even more impressive.
If there is a drawback to this book, it is that Morris does tend to get a little too celebratory at times and give short shrift to Roosevelt's errors. The discussion of his horrific persecution of the Brownsville soldiers, his move away from Booker T. Washington in an attempt to win votes in the white supremacist South and the dirty deals he cut to get the Panama Canal done is very quick and tends to be accompanied by excuses rather than simply admitting Roosevelt was wrong. In particular, the discussion of Brownsville and also the abuses of American soldiers in the Philippines would have allowed an opportunity to notice that TAFT and not Roosevelt correctly assessed the situation and urged his chief to do the right thing, but Roosevelt could not countenance the embarrassment of the "good old boys" running the military. Morris does admit that TR, for all his great qualities, was still a man of his time with the racial and ethnic prejudices of a wealthy white man in NYC, but these could have been explored more to give a little balance to the picture. Roosevelt, warts and all, as it were.
Still all in all, this three-volume series IS the standard on Theodore Roosevelt. Despite being hulking books, they are well worth the time to read and anyone serious about understanding the life and legacy of our 26th president would do well to look at them. Put the time in rather than look for caricatures. The real man was even more impressive.