( 29 reviews )
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Posted: Aug 11 2009
This is a fantastic book for anyone who wishes to know about TR's achievements and the challenges he faced while in office. This in and of itself is a strength. There seem to be a plethora of books about TR's upbringing and his time after being in office, but this book goes about the task of only attacking the period of time that ubdoubtedly defined Roosevelt's life. Morris does a fine job at outlining all of his accomplishments, illustrating how he had to juggle with different challenges at the same time throughout his presidency, and also makes allusions as why so many of his achievements were of such importance. Morris does a good job at showcasing Roosevelt's political aptitude (he was a political genius) by highlighting his behavior in a variety of different circumstances, from the coal miners strike early on in his Administration to his role as peacemaker during the Russo-Japanese war, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He also does a great job in showing how much resistance Roosevelt often faced from the political establishment despite remaining hugely popular in the eyes of the public. One strength of Morris's account is that he portrays Roosevelt as more than a one dimensional figure. He is clearly pro-Roosevelt, but his description of the resistance TR encountered is more or less a testament to how controversial a figure he actually was at the time. TR wasn't a blinded member of the far right; on the contrary, Morris shows that, by the end of his time in office, the "Old Guard" Republican bloc essentially despised him. Roosevelt was complex in other ways, as well, whether it was in how he handled race relations, his feelings on the Japanese and his respect for (and fear of) their continuing expansion, or his position on certain Washington elites. I wish I could give this a 4.5, however that is not possible. That said, I do believe it falls short of a 5 star piece of writing. For one thing, Morris gets a little grandiose at times (throughout the whole book, really). His prose almost leads one to believe that he wishes he were alive at the time of TR, and many of his descriptive passages (especially regarding TR's personal life and descriptions of people) can be tiresome and long-winded. For comparison's sake, I started reading Crime and Punishment after I finished Theodore Rex, and that seemed more fast-paced. I like to think I'm relatively educated, but Morris also made a great deal of allusions that frequently went over my head. He uses many biblical and mythological references in describing Roosevelet and his contemporaries, and doesn't hesitate to break out phrases in French or Latin (these are more complex than simply "veni, vidi vici" or "Ces't la vie"), many of which he doesn't bother translating. Finally, the cast of characters is so enormous that I eventually gave up trying to remember who was who outside of a few key players. Morris would introduce Congressmen on one page, not bring them up for a long while, and then all of the sudden make them the center of attention. That said, however, the book does do a fine job at demonstrating why Theodore Roosevelt is rightfully considered one of our greatest Presidents. It hits on all of his major achievements, and does justice to TR by delving deeply into his personality. I would reccomend this to anyone who has a relatively serious interest (not just a passing curiosity) in learning about his time in office. After reading this I would certainly like to read the book's precursor, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," albiet with some time in between to decompress. Overall, I'm really glad I decided to finally read this.
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Posted: Aug 10 2009
I purchased both "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" as well as "Theodore Rex" to satisfy my thirst to learn more about the former U.S. President. I had heard amazing reviews about both books and was eager to get started. While shorter than its predecessor "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt", "Theodore Rex" lacks the excitement that oozed from the former. The book is relatively dry and lacks the in-depth look into the personality of the former president. It labors along slowly recalling all the major triumphs and failures of the 8 years T.R. spent in office, and I felt like I learned very little about T.R.'s accomplishments as the "trust-buster". The book spends very little time on the second term, the majority of the book focuses on his first term in office and the reelection campaign. I wish it went further into his life post-presidency, the assassination attempts, his run for president as a member of the Bull-Moose Party, his feud with Taft, but it leaves all that out, excluding a whole different aspect of T.R.'s life post presidency. While the book does provide some fantastic insights into the life of the former president, it leaves out too much, and was a disappointing follow up to the highly entertaining and enlightening "Rise of Theodore Roosevelt".
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Posted: Jul 2 2009
Informative and entertaining sequel to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. Morris continues to show why TR is considered one of the most popular personas of the 20th Century with his vast knowledge and research of his subject. Excellent resource.
