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It is refreshing to read the story of someone's life and not have it end with their death. Reading about Teddy's asthma and how he managed to rise above the condition offers hope to other young asthma sufferers and the story is a "good read."
I run out of superlatives to express how I feel about Dave McCullough and his work. He brings you right into the heart and mind of a young TR, from his upbringing to his coming into manhood. I am an avid reader of histories and biographies, and I am here to tell you NONE are better than McCullough. His book on the early life of Teddy Roosevelt is just incredible. He left me wanting to learn more about TR, especially through his presidency. If you love history, or you're a fan of Teddy Roosevelt, then I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.
I couldn't finish this book though I tried many times. It read like a documentary full of boring facts and details rather than the gushing reviews I saw when I chose it. I skipped over many chapters but gave up about 2/3 of the way through.
was a man whose integrity and philanthropy knew no bounds. David McCullough completed "Mornings on Horseback" in 1980 and while not much has changed Teddy Roosevelt's life McCullough has enjoyed a surge in fame. "Mornings of Horseback" is cut from the same cloth as "Truman" and "John Adams" maybe not quite to the same level since it only covers the first 28 or so years of TR's life. Each family member brought a unique characteristic to the family - Mittie was the quintessential southern-belle, Theodore Sr. A word of caution - this is not the definitive biography on TR - these is no mention of his days as a "Rough Rider" or his presidency. However, it McCullough's ability to analyze the progression of TR's life and relate it back to his childhood and family dynamics is clearly on display.
Also intriguing is the description of the Roosevelt family trips - painted in great detail by McCullough. McCullough is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning portrayals of Truman and John Adams - each worthy of being a lifetime achievement. The life of a Roosevelt was one of learning, duty, and integrity - to violate these principles was to invite shame on the family. "Mornings on Horseback" truly is a story of a "lost way of life" I know that I stole that from the front cover but it is the perfect description. McCullough explores the personalities of Theodore Sr., Mittie (TR's mother) and the grandmother. The Roosevelt family excursion down (and up) the Nile river where they lived in comfort on a flotilla passing the days fishing, hunting, loafing, and exploring.
What we do have is a portrait of the family and the dynamics that made "TR" "Teddy".Highly recommended5 Stars
Good because it more clearly focuses on TR, but bad because of the importance that TR's father had on his life. This is not much of a criticism since McCullough is one of the best biographers and popular historians of our day.The first half of the book is mostly about TR's father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr. I gave "Mornings on Horseback" four stars because. The early chapters cover the same material as McCullough and I enjoyed them even more.
The one difference appears to be a Roosevelt family tree (for TR's parents, children and siblings) that appears on the inside cover of the hardback, but does not appear in the paperback. I read the hardback, but I have examined the paperback closely and it appears to be the same, page for page. The book details TR's early life, detailing his upbringing, time at Harvard, early political experiences and the personal tragedies that shaped his life. Much of the last part of the book deals how the three years spent on his Dakota ranch (after the death of his mother and wife) that transformed him physically into the man that most people today recognize as TR.
I got a glimpse of TR, but did not get to know him as clearly as I would have like to. His father was a seminal influence on TR's life, so recounting TR Sr.'s life and influence on TR are important, as is the picture of the late 19th century that TR was brought up in. (His father died at a relatively young age leaving TR as the male head of the family while he was only 19 and his mother and wife died within 11 hours of each other). The picture of his college days and first term in the NY State Assembly is not an entirely flattering one (at least that is how I see it). Note: The hardback book is listed as being unabridged, but no such label is provided for the paperback edition, implying that it is abridged in some way.
As I said at the beginning of this review, in my opinion this is not one of McCullough's best biographies. To some degree this is due to the fact that the book focuses on TR's formative years and not on the years that he took center stage in American history. The book made me want to read more about TR and I have begun to do so, but I wish that McCullough had provided more of a comprehensive picture. After having finished this review, I read H.W.Brands biography of TR, which I liked very much. He comes off as a rather eccentric, rich and supercilious young man who was sickly and physically unimposing. I liked this book, but it is not quite as good as the other books that McCullough has written. I thought that they are more tightly written, conveying the same impression of TR, but in a more compact manner.
He appears to be somewhat curious character and one that does not make the best first impression. He was not the sort of man that made friends easily and was not universally well liked, but he was earnest, honest, courageous, hardworking and excessively loyal, and these qualities made people respect him when they got to know him. Brands does not delve into the life of TR's father, which is both good and bad. While it is a good book, I feel that a reader would be somewhat better served by a book such as Brands', where you get the same information about TR's early life, but in a somewhat more compact manner, plus the information about the rest of his life.
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