Book Description

Until her death when he was 20, David B. Roosevelt enjoyed a close relationship with his GrandmËre, Eleanor Roosevelt. Although she was admired by millions around the world, few people knew her as her loved ones did. Now David shares personal family stories and photographs that show Eleanor as she really was: passionate, vulnerable, courageous, and determined to live her private and personal life according to the humanitarian ideals she cherished. From her unhappy, sheltered childhood to the powerful partnership forged by her marriage to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, to her remarkable achievements as a champion of human rights, this blend of fond remembrance and impeccable research offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the life of a fascinating woman whose legacy continues today. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nothing New!
This rather short coffee-table book is most notable for its collection of photos of Eleanor Roosevelt and her family. The photos are extensive, and a few have not been seen before by non-historians like myself. Otherwise, there was almost nothing new to be learned about this very remarkable and intelligent woman, much to my disappointment! Most amazing was that her grandson actually admitted that he was ignorant of her role on the public stage until her death when he was 20 years old!

I LOVE THIS BOOK I LEARNT A LOT MORE ON ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
I love everything and every pictures too. Thank you. ... Read more

Book Description

A portrait of a president whose eternally optimistic spirit guided his life and leadership, Ronald Reagan Remembered captures in words, pictures, and video the private world and public presidency of a beloved national icon.

When former President Ronald Reagan died on June 5, 2004, at the age of ninety-three, the nation paid its respects and, over the next days, recalled the life of the fortieth president and anticipated his legacy. Using the resources of CBS News, Ronald Reagan Remembered provides a full record of Reagan's life and assesses his place in American history. Three of CBS News's most respected journalists -- Dan Rather, Lesley Stahl, and Mike Wallace -- offer original essays drawing on their personal experience of Reagan in action. Many of the speeches of the president known as The Great Communicator are collected on the special full-length DVD -- including the address to the nation after the Challenger disaster in 1986 and the 1987 speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin -- along with classic interviews with Reagan and his family. Ronald Reagan Remembered also includes Bob Schieffer's insightful Face the Nation commentary "Lessons from Ronald Reagan," a touching tribute by Reagan's daughter Patti Davis, and obituaries and analysis from the best of the print media, including the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Time and Newsweek magazines. Illustrated with more than 80 photographs, Ronald Reagan Remembered is a comprehensive and thoughtful keepsake of one of the most remarkable of all American lives. ... Read more

Book Description

One man, more than any other, has helped define the most important issues of our time. His name is Ronald Reagon -- one of our nation's most powerful and popular Presidents. This extraordinary audio collection includes historical excerpts from selected addresses that span his political career, laying out his vision for America and the world. From his cornerstone 1964 speech on behalf of Barry Goldwater to his moving farewell address in January of 1989, here is President Reagan as we came to know him: the public figure, the political leader, the private man. Included are personal reflections from President Reagan recorded exclusively for this production -- in an audio presentation that captures the voice, the spirit, and the intellect of the greatest communicator America has ever known. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One for the history books
What better way to remember the Reagan legacy than by listening to Reagan's best speeches.

Remembering The Great Communicator
Reagan was a great President simply from the perspective of his innate leadership ability and masterful skill as an orator. This collection of speeches is quite compelling and an excellent reference for admirers of the honorable Ronald Reagan. I also recommend Reagan In His Own Hand, which is a little more focused on the pre-Presidential Reagan during his stint as a private citizen and Governor of California.

Haunting words.
Listening to the Great Communicator is like hearing the stories your grandfather used to tell. They held you spellbound and you never grew tired of them. The Goldwater speech rings true today. The most stirring speeches: Reagan's D-Day speech at Normandy, and his inspirational words following the Challenger disaster, are among the best ever delivered. Hearing these speeches gave me goose bumps. Kudos to President Reagan's outstanding speech writers. I recommend that you read David Gergen's excellent book, "Witness to Power." God Bless you President Reagan. ... Read more

Book Description

Mary Ann and Charles Sures were longtime personal friends of Ayn Rand--Mary Ann for twenty-eight years, Charles for almost twenty. Their recollections in this delightful memoir make vividly real the Ayn Rand they knew so well. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Extremely disappointing
I was going to write a review to warn readers (listeners) away from this book, but, after reading the review of Mr. A entitled "THEY PLUMP WHEN YOU COOK THEM", I decided that he had expressed my thoughts exactly, and probably better than I could have put them. I agree with Mr. A's review completely.

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I would add that I did not enjoy the reading of the book, either. It would certainly have benefited by a male and female voice to read the parts of Ms. Rand and Mr. O'Connor, so that the narrator would not have to endlessly repeat their names, which was extremely annoying.

Overall, don't waste your time reading or listening to this book.

Bright and sincere but very cautiously edited
Judged against most oral histories or memoirs by friends of the famous, this is an above-average work.Mary Ann Sures wrote about art for Ayn Rand's publication, The Objectivist, back in the 1960s.In between anecdotes about stamp collecting or watching "The African Queen" in Ms. Rand's living room, both Charles and Mary Ann Sures discuss the reasons for their lifelong intellectual engagement with Rand and her philosophy.

Where the book disappoints is in its excessively careful avoidance of controversy and negatives.

The Sures both refer to insightful remarks Ms. Rand made about their individual values or character, that had an enormous positive personal impact on them.I see this as the main theme of the book, in fact: it is a personal memoir of how she enriched their lives.I know many readers of Ayn Rand who have had a similar experience just from reading her, myself included.To read Ayn Rand is, for many people, to feel engaged and understood on a very deep level.That is why when surveys ask, "What book has most influenced your life?", Atlas Shrugged routinely ranks second only to the Bible.(For example, when the Library of Congress did such a survey in 1991, about two percent of all respondents picked Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead -- while about 20 percent chose the Bible. Atlas Shrugged outpolled its nearest competitor by about 3 to 1, suggesting it has a unique place in American culture.)

However, throughout the book and particularly in the chapter entitled "On Negatives" -- discussing Ayn Rand's tendency to public fits of temper, in which she sometimes responded harshly to questions from students -- the Sures seem to engage in special pleading.In effect, if Ms. Rand boosted their confidence with an insightful bit of praise, that was a measure of her genius.But if she denounced some student she had just met as evasive, irrational, or anti-life, based on the way a question was put, all the same she was "not angry at anyone personally," she was just being polemical.This distinction was lost on the people being shouted at, some of whom were devastated to be denounced in front of friends and family by their hero.The Objectivist movement went through years of denunciations and purges, and remains divided even today between orthodox loyalists and more tolerant dissidents.Where the movement wound up was at least in part a consequence of Rand's own harshly confrontational public persona.

The Sures say early in the book that their goal is to preserve Ms. Rand's "larger than life" reputation.The problem is that by failing to acknowledge the more difficult and less praiseworthy facets of Ayn Rand when they come up, the book hurts its own credibility.Too much of her life and the movement she inspired necessarily goes unmentioned as a result.

Perhaps this is inevitable in such a memoir, by friends who loved her. She was a genius, and the positive side of her story is admittedly far more interesting and important than the negatives. However, it would have been much better if the Sures or their editor could have acknowledged a little more ungrudgingly, as other writers have done, that personal involvement with Ayn Rand occasionally led to pain.A memoir that managed to capture the impact of her brilliance on the Sures, AND deal honestly with life in her circle in the 1960s, would deserve five stars.This book, though well-intentioned, does not.

Note: I previously reviewed this book for The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies, Volume 5, Number 1.

"Must" reading for her many admirers
Facets Of Ayn Rand is an impressive and informative memoir that collects 48 hours of interviews from two people who remember Ayn Rand as their friend and as a person who was totally unafraid to voice her convictions, no matter how unpopular or controversial they were at the time. Facets Of Ayn Rand offers moving testimony filled with personal touches, rendering a closer and more intimate understanding of the life and thought of a truly great and influential woman. Facets Of Ayn Rand is "must" reading for her many admirers and students of her work.

See what Ayn Rand was really like
Facets of Ayn Rand is an enjoyable behind-the-scenes look at Ayn Rand, the person.For those familiar with Ayn Rand's philosophy (which holds integrity as one of seven virtues), it will come as no surprise that her personal life was consistent with her philosophy.Reading this book is probably as close as one can get to actually spending time with Ayn Rand these days.

A Delightful Read
This memoir brings the novelist-philosopher back to life in the form of a delightful interview full of her benevolent metaphysics. It is told not with anger or mocking cynicism, but with the fond admiration that Miss Rand deserves. Whether you just want to know more about Ayn Rand the person, or whether you want to feel the joy of Ayn Rand's presence, this is your book. ... Read more

Book Description

A half-century after the publication of THE FOUNTAINHEAD, Ayn Rand's ideas remain both highly controversial and extremely influential. In THE AYN RAND CULT, Jeff Walker exposes the woman behind the ideas, questioning whether they are as original as her followers claimed. He looks at the devoted following she attracted in the 1940s and 1950s, how it was shaped by her volatile and domineering personality, and what remains of it today. Ultimately, Walker argues, her Objectivist movement came to practice the opposite of the principles it espoused-individualism and objectivity-evolving into a dictatorial cult in which members suffered arranged marriages, took new names in homage to Rand, and were tried and excommunicated for expressing opinions different from Rand's. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

Controversial but not easily dismissed.
Is this book a personal attack on many of Rand's close associates? Yes. Are they attacks by Jeff Walker? No: he quotes from numerous other critics and even from past members of this strangest of cults.

Is the topic of Walker's book the "philosophy of Ayn Rand?" No. Is it meant as a rigorous academic evaluation of "Objectivism." No. His topic is "the movement," the absolutist, moralistic attitudes consistently displayed by adherents of her philosophy. These people who have adopted Rand's terminology, the Randian "spin" on words in common, everyday usage.

Are cultists likely to admit that they are members of a cult? Of course not. Do they recognize their ideas as strange, even bizarre? Are their denials vehement? Always. Do they follow their leader's edicts? Try asking followers of Jim Jones.

Walker's book could indeed stand editing. It needs better indexing. Parts of it are unevenly written when compared to others. Does that invalidate his thesis? The reader must decide for himself. But _The Ayn Rand Cult_ DOES merit a close reading, even to checking out the references to popular fiction of the 1920s. Why? To learn if Rand was herself a "first" or "a second-hander." And to evaluate those same qualities in her admirers.

Who is Jeff Walker?
I have very mixed feelings about this book. On the positive side, the book contains a tremendous amount of interesting historical information about Ayn Rand and the Objectivist movement. The author quite successfully makes his point that Objectivism was/is a cult; though this is hardly an original claim, it has never been so thoroughly supported as it is here. However, the book is so negative and biased that it undercuts the arguments Walker is trying to make. Walker doesn't even try to be objective; I challenge you to find a single positive thing said about Rand or the Objectivist movement in the book's 300+ pages. I think Satan comes across better in the Bible than Rand does here. Most of the evidence given is through quotes, generally from former Objectivists. That's fine, but there is also a tremendous amount of unsupported (and nasty) editorializing, e.g. "By all accounts, the young Alissa [Rand] was not a particularly lovable child." Also, Walker often goes to great lengths to discredit certain people (notably Nathaniel Branden), and then uses quotes from them to support later arguments. If they aren't credible, why should we give their opinions any credence? Also, Walker accuses Branden of being responsible for his second wife's death and subtly implies that Leonard Peikoff is a homosexual. I could go on and on, but the point I'm trying to make is that Walker has a tremendous axe to grind, and much of the book appears to be a smear campaign for its own sake. Furthermore, Walker never makes it clear exactly why he hates Rand and Objectivism so much, aside from the fact that Peikoff threatened to sue him once regarding a radio program on Rand that Walker wrote. The last section of the last chapter is telling: it's about "the Ayn Rand that might have been", wherein Walker re-writes history to show how Ayn Rand, if she had had fewer psychological problems, might have actually attained some degree of respectability. This leads me to think that Walker is a disillusioned ex-Objectivist who was personally burned by the movement. "The Ayn Rand Cult", although well worth reading, would have been a much better book if Walker had made his own biases clear right from the start. As it is, I look forward to a more objective book on the Rand/Objectivist saga.

Ad Hominem 101
Walker succeeds in making his point in spite of himself. That his only goal in writing this book was to show that Objectivism has become a cult is a little hard to believe given that most of the book consists of personal attacks on the people involved. He might as well have drawn some horns on the photo of Rand on the cover. However, I do believe the case has been clearly made, here and elsewhere, that it is a cult. Probably this has a lot to do with the fact that to almost all but the true believers the cultish quality of Objectivism is painfully obvious. Walker's viciousness throughout only works to destroy his credibility. His use of quotes from ex-objectivists, neo-objectivists, and current objectivists to support his claim, while at the same time using them against each other to question the credibility of all involved doesn't exactly make for a strong case either. A large group of liars spreading gossip about each other doesn't usually qualify as hard evidence. I found myself wondering quite a bit about Walker's history and possible connections to the movement. Who put the bee in his bonnett? Nevertheless, the book makes for a fascinating look at the Objectivist movement and the personalities involved, albeit a very biased look. If you hate Rand, you'll love it. If you're somewhat indifferent, as I am, you'll be entertained. If you're a true-believer...well, you've probably already been alerted to avoid this one.

Useful
If you would like to know why you should probably read *about* Ayn Rand and her pop philosophy, Objectivism, from a safe distance rather than joining it, you can hardly go wrong with this book. It provides extensive and evidently correct information on why Objectivism fits perfectly into the definition of 'cult,' and why Ayn Rand can fairly be called an intellectual bully and tyrant. Based on the picture of Objectivist leaders' behavior, I can easily imagine current Ayn Rand Institute director Leonard Peikoff stridently condemning this book as irrational! irrational! irrational! (Probably without having read it first; the author notes cases of Rand and her students bashing philosophers and/or books that they have little or no firsthand knowledge of.)
However, it is too bad that for some reason there aren't that many anti-Rand books out there (that I know of), because I would rather have gotten this critical information on Rand/Objectivism from a different author. What most of the other reviews say is true: he is dreadfully abrasive. He is described as an investigative journalist, but his analysis is not conducted with a semblance of detachment or professionalism. Rather, he very much gives the impression of having a personal axe to grind with the Objectivist movement. The back of the book states that some of the publications he has worked for are Free Inquiry, Skeptical Enquirer and Liberty. I am wondering if he might be a libertarian, in which case his tone would be understandable, because according to him, Rand and her Objectivists hated (still hate) libertarians for not wholly accepting Objectivist philosophy. Or possibly Walker is a former Objectivist student who suffered 'excommunication' for developing incorrect ideas. (The Objectivist leaders' standard procedure in this matter is ugly.) Still, the book is the truth, and should be read.

Chained to the Ego
There are two good reasons for reading this book: 1) Jeff Walker has managed to interview many people who were close to Ayn Rand and early Objectivism. It is thus an invaluable historical record. 2) In view of the chronic stand-off between the various factions of Objectivism, only a non-Objectivist could have written this book. It is thus an invaluable historical record.
Does Walker despise Ayn Rand? Quite a lot. But there's no obligation to revere Ayn Rand, and Walker clearly doesn't.
Is he fair on Ayn Rand? Possibly not. There must have been times when she was genial and pleasant and prepared to discuss opposing points of view in a civilised atmosphere. We do not find those instances here.
But that's not the point. Walker is trying to make a case that Rand was a cult figure, in a context of the more committed Randians' refusal to entertain the possibility that Rand's personality and behaviour was the fuel to that cult.
And not just her personality and behaviour, but also her ideas. Central to her thought was her notion of ethical egoism, where the autonomous ego decided what was right and wrong. But what was missing from this equation was the notion of the ego's obligation to the well-being of others. Thus, she could embark on an affair with Nathaniel Branden, assuming that her husband Frank - the Eddie Willers of Objectivism -- could not be affected by their actions.
But as Barbara Branden discovered, therein lay the rotten core of Objectivism, the deceit that had to be practiced at Rand's instigation. This deceit consumed more and more of their lives until the central character imploded under the strain of her own self-deceit.
And this was the woman who claimed to know the rational source of her every emotion.
The enormous tragedy of Ayn Rand was not just that she fabricated a lie, but that she drew so many others into that lie. This rotten core is even now consuming the Objectivist movement.
B ... Read more

Book Description

From his childhood in rural Illinois to moviemaking days in Hollywood and on to a career in politics that took him all the way to the Oval Office, Ronald Reagan kept an abiding faith in America and in what our country stood for. The oldest president ever, he survived a near-fatal assassination attempt and lived to be 93. Who Was Ronald Reagan? covers his life and times in a balanced, entertaining way for children. More than 100 black-and-white illustrations fill out the portrait of our fortieth president. ... Read more

Book Description

In the last years of Ronald Reagan's life, his voluminous writings on politics, policy, and people finally emerged and offered a Rosetta stone by which to understand him. From 1975 to 1979, in particular, he delivered more than 1,000 radio addresses, of which he wrote at least 680 himself. When drafts of his addresses were first discovered, and a selection was published in 2001 as Reagan, In His Own Hand by the editors of this book, they caused a sensation by revealing Reagan as a prolific and thoughtful writer, who covered a wide variety of topics and worked out the agenda that would drive his presidency. What was missed in that thematic collection, however, was the development of his ideas over time. Now, in Reagan's Path to Victory, a chronological selection of more than 300 addresses with historical context supplied by the editors, readers can see how Reagan reacted to the events that defined the Carter years and how he honed his message in the crucial years before his campaign officially began.

The late 1970s were tumultuous times. In the aftermath of Vietnam and Watergate, America's foreign and domestic policies were up for grabs. Reagan argued against the Panama Canal treaties, in vain; against the prevailing view that the Vietnam War was an ignoble enterprise from the start; against détente with the Soviet Union; against the growth of regulation; and against the tax burden. Yet he was fundamentally an optimist, who presented positive, values-based prescriptions for the economy and for Soviet relations. He told many inspiring stories; he applauded charities and small businesses that worked to overcome challenges.

As Reagan's Path to Victory unfolds, Reagan's essays reveal a presidential candidate who knew himself and knew his positions, who presented a stark alternative to an incumbent administration, and who knew how to reach out and touch voters directly. Reagan's Path to Victory is nothing less than a president's campaign playbook, in his own words. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Two presidents not compared often enough
"John Milton Cooper...blends these contrasting and kindred elements into a masterful portrait of two of our most intriguing presidents," David Kennedy in the New York Times Book Review, November 20 1983. TR and Wilson are often considered to be the same, especially in the in the domestic realm. The New Freedom was simply an extension of New Nationalism. But Cooper espouses the differences through analysis of both important domestic debates and the politics of war and internationalism. For anyone interested in studying Roosevelt, Wilson, and the Progressive era this book is an important read.

ok, but lacks depth and originality
When I picked this up, I thought: hey, why not two bios for the effort of one? Why not indeed: you can't delve deeply enough into these two substantial and complex lives in this context. THere is some useful comparisons made of their careers, but it is way way too ambitious. While you do get many of the factual basics, which were indeed interesting, neither of these past Presidents comes alive.

REcommended only for the facts. Look for flavor and pyschological depth elsewhere.

Well-reason parallel lives
This is a great work of scholarship dealing with two of the most important figures of the early 20th century. Cooper is able to bring out the differences in the approaches that both men had in setting the US political agenda in the early 20th century. Cooper is always a great treat to read. I must say that the title is somewhat interesting. When looking at Roosevelt or Wilson who is in fact the warrior and who the priest?

a poor book, often a bad book
This is a poor book. Indeed, it is often a bad book. Cooper's idea of a biography comparing Roosevelt and Wilson is a conceit that does not come off. This biography has all the genre's vices. Complex movements like Progressivism are clumsily personalized. Although Cooper is mildly critical of his heroes (particularly their criticisms of each other) he ignores their worst aspects. On Wilson and race: "Wilson belived that blacks were not innately inferior to whites and would eventually, probably in two or three centuries, achieve a measure of economic and political, if not social, equality." (210) I challenge anyone to read Wilson's papers and come up with so emollient a verdict. On Roosevelt's artistic appreciation: "...Roosevelt based his cultural views upon wide cultivation and genuine reflection." (87) Now considering that Roosevelt considered Duchamp trash, viewed the Kreutzer Sonata as obscene and sniffed that James, Dickens, Gorky and Zola were not gentlemen, I beg to differ.

Admirers of Roosevelt's foreign policy will not be burdened by any mention of atrocities in the conquest of the Philippines. In fine bipartisan tradition the faked elections in Nicaragua and the massacres in Haiti under Wilson's rule are not mentioned either. Be it Wilson's refusal to pardon Eugene Debs or the dark genocidal streams in Roosevelt's racism, the conservative, reactionary or just downright rotten opinions (on unions, immigration, Mexico, anti-hyphenation) are either ignored or equivocated to death in Cooper's account. Considering America's size, wealth and security, its rise as a world power was almost inevitable after 1865. As such a strictly biographical approach reveals very little. Both presidents were skilled administrators, and especially skilled in belittling liberal causes when they weren't popular, taking credit for them when they were, and trimming one's sails with the conservative tide. As a result they are bestowed the honor and glory that belongs to better and braver men. But one remembers that American history would not be too different if they had never lived and one also remembers not to put one's faith in princes.

An interesting read but requires prior knowledge
I read this book for my history class at The University of San Francisco. It is worth reading if you want a very in depth look at the lives and careers of both Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. The only problem with the book is that it assumes you are already knowledgeable about this era. I found it very helpful to read a history textbook along with the book in order to better understand what was happening at this point in history. Otherwise the book was well written and easy to read. I recommend The Warrior and The Priest to anyone who is interested in the exciting life of TR and his rival Wilson. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Biographers have often treated Theodore Roosevelt as "a larger-than-life monument carved in stone, unchanging, far from being flesh and blood, and quite imperturbable." So writes Kathleen Dalton, who gives us a fully fleshed, quite down-to-earth TR in this vigorous, sometimes critical biography of the 26th president.

Roosevelt carefully crafted an image of himself as a self-made man. Fair enough, Dalton suggests, though he had a big head start in coming from one of New York's wealthiest and best-connected families. More than shaping his body to overcome weakness, his spirit to overcome fear, he had to overcome the prejudices of his time and class in order to be truly fit for leadership, and even as president he wrestled with a few contradictions (opposing, for instance, a woman's right to divorce, but endorsing public flogging of spousal abusers). He was not always successful, Dalton writes, but he emerged in the end as a great champion of civil rights and of the middle and working classes, very much ahead of his time.

There's a lot of interest in Theodore Roosevelt these days--and for good reason, given the recent international turmoil and financial tumble, which, some would argue, beg for TR's patented big-stick and trust-busting treatment. Dalton's Theodore Roosevelt offers a satisfying portrait of a constantly fascinating subject. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Reviews (12)

TR - a look at his multifaceted personality
I am excited by Dalton's biography of Theodore Roosevelt. It is the freshest book to come out about TR since Edmund Morris' "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt." I have read many books about TR and there is much new and interesting information in her book.
For example she mentioned that J. Martin Miller, a journalist, lied about TR's drinking. I have a book by J. Martin Miller called "The Triumphant life of Theodore Roosevelt," copyright 1905, which has some rare pictures of TR. I have never before read any other mention of J. Martin Miller.
To anyone who has a mood disorder, it comes as no surprise that TR had one too, although the so-called "normal" people do not understand and think it is an insult to say their beloved TR had one. I started studying him a few years ago, figuring he was a self-actualized person. I wanted to find out how a person with bipolar disorder becomes a self-actualized person. By a great deal of reading and thinking, I realized how he did it. He learned how to deal with stress early in his life. He used studying, writing, reading, exercise and even food to stabilize his moods. What I didn't realize until I read this book was that his wife Edith, aware of his moods, eased much of the stress on him. His bipolar disorder was mild because he worked to learn how to handle stress. Often young people use much less healthy ways to deal with depression and manic depression. They would learn much about how to deal with their moods by studying TR.
I was pleased that the author expounded on his growing social conscience. I think it is very important to show that it is possible to learn and grow your entire life, up to the very end.
I think this book will be cited often by historians.

One of the best biographies on TR
I thought it might have been a big hype over how good this book could be but when I was done reading it, I realized how great this book turned out to be.

The author, Kathleen Dalton, did a fantastic job in writing a honest biography on Theodore Roosevelt, a man which in many ways, a walking contradiction. TR's muliti-complex personality and behavior proves to be a impossible task for many historians to grasp but Kathleen Dalton make it look pretty easy.

The author ensure that there was nothing simple or sternotypical about Theodore Roosevelt. In many ways, her work is quite comparable with Edmund Morris' work on TR although one author emphsis more on one subject matter compared to the other one.

A must read book for anyone interested in the life and time of Theodore Roosevelt.

A Very Solid Introduction
Having read several other works on TR already I was familiar with the basics of his life. Ms. Dalton's work does a great job covering those areas. I would highly recommend this book to anyone just encountering TR for the first time. He is absolutely a person that we all need to know. What a great character! If it was fiction you might not believe it all. If you do know TR's life story already then I would suggest Edmund Morris' work. By all means however give this book a try. It's worth your time.

Good for teaching the U.S. survey course
If you are tired of using a boring text try this biography. It has labor history, social history, and a lot of basic political history served up as a background to the hyperactive and entertaining ham actor of his generation.

THE Theodore Roosevelt biography for our time
With this book, Kathleen Dalton has produced the best one-volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt we are likely to see for some time. Hers is a work about Roosevelt the person, not the image or caricature that is so often reduced to in the public mind. As a result, she has provided a valuable work examining the man behind the famous myth - a myth that Roosevelt himself did so much to construct.

The process begins in sorting the distortions surrounding his childhood. The product of study going back to her dissertation written over a quarter century ago on Roosevelt's pre-presidential years, this is one of the strongest sections of the book. Unlike Edmund Morris in his ongoing opus, Dalton fits the young TR squarely into the context of his times, showing how he reflected many of the prevailing Victorian attitudes about youth and manhood. Moreover. her Roosevelt is not the paragon of manliness that Morris' is. She goes further in detailing the poor health that plagued Roosevelt throughout his life (such as his attacks of asthma, which Dalton notes that, contrary to TR's own account, he never overcame completely) and from which he constantly sought to escape - hence the theme of her book, the "strenuous life" of her subtitle.

Dalton also details the early years of Roosevelt's political career with considerable insight. She describes how Roosevelt was very much his father's son, with the elder Roosevelt encouraging his namesake to take up the cause of social reform from an early age. This formed a key component of his political career from its start with his election as a New York state legislator. Yet Dalton shows that Roosevelt was much more than the typical patrician reformer of his time. The critical period in the development was his tenure as a New York City police commissioner. Not only did he gain greater exposure to how the "other half" of New York society lived, but Dalton credits his experience with the infighting of the job in preparing him for the harsher aspects of political life later on.

Dalton's account becomes more disjointed once TR becomes president. Here it is as if she is swept away by the breathless pace of the Roosevelt White House, as she continually shifts between hurried explanations of the political problems Roosevelt faced and descriptions of his family life. Events and people often are referenced in passing without adequate explanation, which can leave the reader guessing at the relevancy and significance of her point. Yet while the frenetic nature of the account can be annoying, it does help in her effort to convey the physical toll the job took on TR, one which became increasingly apparent as his term came to an end.

Once Roosevelt moves into his post-presidential years, Dalton regains her focus. Here she gives extensive coverage to TR's continuing fight for domestic reform. Though Roosevelt spent more than a year abroad in order to give his successor, William Howard Taft, the freedom to operate away from his considerable shadow, he found himself unable to avoid the political arena after his return. Dalton chronicles Roosevelt's adoption of an increasingly radical agenda during this period, one that included the adoption of income and inheritance taxes, workers' rights, and direct democracy - ideas that were anathema to the conservative leadership of the Republican Party.

Thwarted in his attempt to wrest the presidential nomination away from Taft, Roosevelt broke away from the Republican Party and ran for the White House in 1912 as the Progressive Party candidate. Though ultimately defeated in the race by Democrat Woodrow Wilson, Roosevelt continued to fight for political reform and racial justice. Dalton argues that this struggle in the final years of Roosevelt's life has been overshadowed in most historians' accounts by his campaign for American involvement in the First World War, one which saw a more chauvinistic figure than the champion of progressivism which TR had become. In the end, though, TR's efforts to regain the presidency and press forward with his policies would end with his unexpected death in 1919 after a lifetime of battles and illnesses, the result of the "strenuous life" that has made him the icon he is today. ... Read more

Book Description

Surely one of the most important women of the twentieth century, Eleanor Roosevelt's life, both personal and public, was greatly influential. She affected not just Americans, but the world; not just white women, but people of all sexes and races, and extended far beyond her 80 years. Her position as a daughter of a well-known family and as wife of a rising politician prepared her for the role of First Lady after her husband's election to the presidency in 1932.

From that vantage point, she gained insight into twentieth-century social problems and steadily expanded the scope of her interests. But Eleanor Roosevelt's significance did not hinge entirely upon Franklin Delano Roosevelt's position. For years after his death, she continued to explore the meaning of her Americanism and her role as a woman sensitive to the needs of changing times. This thoughtful account provides a moving description of the forces that transformed the twentieth-century world. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Not a good example of history for students
While the language isn't boring the the ideas are great in Youngs second edition of this biography, I am not happy at all that my students have been assigned this book to read in a linked course.I teach a study and learning skills course linked to an American history course at a university in the USA and this biography must be read by the students.With all the time spent in the colleges and universities and now in the media about how historians need to cite their sources, this biography is a sad and sorry example.Nothing is cited, even the direct quotes have no citations!Yes, Youngs does discuss his sources at the end of the book but that is not the same as giving credit to the sources where he drew his quotations and facts from.The publisher, Longman, should be ashamed for allowing such poorly cited scholarship to be printed for used in either courses or the general public. I would have given this 1 star but the writing is engaging.

Good Overview But For Depth Look Elsewhere
Youngs's biography is an average attempt to describe this great woman's life and I do not mean "average" in a derogatory sense.This book hits all the main points of Eleanor's life and accomplishments from before her birth up to her death.It remains objective throughout most of the book but Youngs does not bring any enthusiasm to the womans life.The few times when Youngs voice seems to be asserting itself, it is to criticize Eleanor.One example is when Youngs insinuates that Eleanor's work in the NYC skids was just a rich girl trying to slum.Youngs made it seem like Eleanor never cared about the poor because she could never truly know them.He may have a point, but he did not use that same emotion when he was describing Eleanor's work as First Lady during the Great Depression.I would have liked to seen a little more energy from Youngs but I cannot complain about the information in his book.For those of you wanting a good, fairly objective, overview of Eleanor's life, Youngs book is just for you.For those who like their biographer to throw their two cents into the book you might want to look elsewhere. ... Read more

Book Description

Nathan Miller's critically acclaimed biography of Theodore Roosevelt is the first complete one-volume life of the Rough Rider to be published in more than thirty years. From his sickly childhood to charging up San Juan Hill to waving his fist under J.P. Morgan's rubicund nose, Theodore Roosevelt offers the intimate history of a man who continues to cast a magic spell over the American imagination.

As the twenty-sixth president of the United States, from 1901 to 1909, Roosevelt embodied the overwheliming confidence of the nation as it entered the American Century. With fierce joy, he brandished a "Big Stick" abroad and promised a "Square Deal" at home. He was the nation's first environmental president, challenged the trusts, and, as the first American leader to play an important role in world affairs, began construction of a long-dreamed canal across Panama and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for almost singlehandedly bringing about a peaceful end to the Russo-Japanese War.

In addition to following Roosevelt's political career, Theodore Roosevelt looks deeply into his personal relations to draw a three-dimensional portrait of a man who confronted life-wrenching tragedies as well as triumphs. It is biography at its most compelling.

Reviews (27)

Terrific book conveying the remarkable vitality.
Having read _The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt_ by Edmund Morris, I came under the spell of this amazing American and true hero. Unfortunately, Mr. Morris' book stopped at the point of TR entering the White House. I wanted the all the goods. The book certainly delivers. While Mr. Morris' book proved more riveting during TR's early years of overachievement (early 20's), Mr. Miller's book gave a balanced account of the full life. TR had an akward out-of-office second life; this book captures it, thus applying the counter to the pure hero accounted for during his pre-retirement. A great read on a fascinating subject.

Theodore Roosevelt -- What a life!
This excellent biography, published in 1992, is interesting and lively. It paints a picture of a dynamic leader and "literary feller" who was also a nice guy. Well, that is, unless you had crossed him in some way. But he had lofty ideals that he usually stuck to, and he loved his big family. Of particular interest are the pictures and section devoted to his first wife, the tall and lovely "Sunshine" Alice, who died tragically on Valentine's Day at age 22. There is the charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba, his cowboy times "out West," his struggles with gout, the Nobel Peace Prize for helping end the Russo-Japanese War...and during all these activities, the amazing man found time to publish 40 books! They don't make 'em like this anymore. Well, maybe they will in the future, but the U.S. political horizon looks gray and dim, does it not? Can you imagine Clinton or Bush publishing 40 books? Or winning the Peace Prize? Great book for those folks interested in Great Men. It's fascinating and highly readable, not your daddy's biographical Oldsmobile.

Now, do what you might have done for Teddy: Give me a good vote, please! This is all in fun, isn't it? Thanks.

The life of the "Man in the Arena," all in one volume
It is probably too much to ask to try to contain the entire life of Theodore Roosevelt in one book. But Nathan Miller does an excellent job of doing so.

While not quite as detailed as Edmund Morris's planned trilogy on the life of Roosevelt (of which two volumes are complete), it is more than sufficient in it's details of most of his life. My only complaint would be that it does not seem to give as much attention to his post-presidential years as I would have liked, but still, anyone reading this will have an opportunity to get to know intimately one of our greatest presidents.

The book is never dull (how could it be considering the subject?), and if you want the entire life of Theodore Roosevelt gathered in one volume, this is probably the best book of its kind.

A Magnificent Life!
"Theodore Roosevelt:A Life" by Nathan Miller is an excellent survey of one of the greatest of American lives. From birth to death, Miller takes us along the path blazed by this Rough Rider. I say that it is excellent because it presents this extraordinary life in fine writing style. I call it a survey because it seems to run through 60 action packed years at the rapid pace necessary for a one volume biography.

The outline of TR's life is here: The sickly boy who "builds his body", the snobbish Harvard man, the New York Assemblyman and the young romantic. Shattered by a lost love, TR enters the cattle business in the Dakotas. His Dakota Sabbatical completed, he is ready for the return to New York, public life and his childhood sweetheart, Edith Carrow. Rising through appointive position in the U. S. Civil Service Commission, the New York Police Board and the Navy Department, TR gradually deepened his experience and broadened his network.

During his early life, TR was molded by personal tragedy. The sudden death of his father when TR was 19 forced him into a more responsible maturity. The death of this wife and mother in the same house of unrelated conditions on February 14, 1884 plunged him into mourning from which he found relief only in flight. Leaving his newborn daughter with his sister, he went West to enter the cattle business which, incidentally, was a reasonable business decision at the time.

By this time some of the major themes and ironies of his life had been established. As a member of the New York Assembly, TR had established himself as a crusader for political reform and corporate regulation. Although a political maverick, his leadership qualities made his political advance inexorable. As New York Police Commissioner, TR created a sensation by enforcing the Sunday liquor laws and disciplining officers who were corrupt or who shirked their duties. His late night prowls for sleeping officers became part of his legend. He advanced the cause of Civil Service reform during his term on the Civil Service Commission.

TR's service as Assistant Secretary of the Navy marked his first major impact on national public policy. A strenuous advocate for a strong Navy, TR's actions helped prepare the Navy its role it in the Spanish American War. The instructions which he sent, on the Secretary's day off, to Adm. Dewey set the stage for America's overseas empire.

The Spanish American War which brought TR to national prominence. Seeking an Army Commission in order to fulfill a perceived obligation and to slake his thirst for adventure, TR also sought to redeem his father's decision to pay a substitute during the Civil War.

Serving under Col. Leonard Wood, TR developed the First U. S. Volunteer Cavalry, The Rough Riders, a colorful band of cowboys and Indians, westerners and Ivy League athletes. Here TR developed and exhibited both courage and his leadership qualities. In the process of becoming a national hero, TR earned the respect of his brother officers. His charge up San Juan Hill on July 1, 1898 became an American Legend. The Rough Riders were photographed on the top of the hill because "We shall always live in its shadow."

Roosevelt the reformer remained inside Roosevelt the warrior. Saving the career of professional officers, TR testified before Congress about the poor quality of rations, an action which may have deferred his Medal of Honor for a century.

Riding his wave of popularity into New York's governor's mansion, TR continued his reforming ways, pushing a bill which taxed public service corporations . Ever the practical politician, TR sought the cooperation of Boss Platt by consulting him on state appointments.

Following a typically boring vice-presidency, TR entered the bully pulpit, the great adventure which was the Presidency. His style was unique. The first President to use the press as a tool, TR connected with the public as no president had done before and few have done since. His young family and wild daughter, Alice, complemented his role on the national stage. The main accomplishments of TR's presidency were the advancement of conservation, the extension of government control of corporations and the advancement of American influence in world affairs. His brokerage of the Peace Treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War earned him the Nobel Prize for Peace, the first Nobel Prize won by an American.

Retiring from the White House at age 50, TR lived out another adventure during his African safari. This and his subsequent tour of Europe, reminiscent of the reception received by Gen. Grant, gave President Taft a political honeymoon. Returning to the U.S. in 1910, TR launched into an increasingly radical attack on Taft which lead to his Bull Moose run for the Presidency in 1912. This started a sad final phase of TR's career in which he became estranged from former friends and supporters while making new enemies, prominently including Woodrow Wilson. A final exploration in South America nearly killed him and almost certainly shortened his life.

For TR, life was a series of unforeseen consequences. Abandoning his friend from childhood, Edith Carrow, TR fell head over heals for beautiful Alice Lee. Alice is seen as a beautiful, but intellectually shallow companion. It has often been said that, had Alice lived, Theodore would never have been President. Her death drove him the cattle business in the Dakota Territory, an experience crucial to his rise to the Presidency. Having become a thorn in the side of the Republican organization in New York, they maneuvered him on the road to political oblivion in the Vice-Presidency, only to have President McKinley assassinated about six months into the term.

"Theodore Roosevelt: A Life" does justice to the magnificent life. It meets two tests of a great book. It leaves you satisfied, yet hungry to read more.

TR - The Overview
Author Nathan Miller faces some stiff competition with his Theodore Roosevelt biography. Edmund Morris won the Pulitzer prize with "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and one of mega popular historian David McCullough's best loved books is "Mornings on Horseback." Additionally, Miller faces the fundamental problem that TR was really too complex a figure to be given his just due in a single volume. The man himself was larger than life, and his biographies ought to be as well.

Nevertheless, Miller gives it his best shot. His prose is very readable and he briskly covers each event in Roosevelt's busy life with aminimum of opinionating. Those looking for a thorough examination of TR's presidency will be better off with Morris's recent "Theodore Rex," as the two terms combined account for only about 140 of the 560 pages of narrative. Roosevelt's post-presidential years get even less coverage, a mere 70 pages, despite the fact that he continued to be a major player on the American political scene for another decade. These factors illustrate just how difficult was Miller's one volume task.

Overall, "Theodore Roosevelt: A Life" is a good bare bones introduction to one of America's most fascinating historical figures. ... Read more

Book Description

Theodore Roosevelt proved that a political figure could also excel in military matters and literary endeavors.This work covers a most interesting list of heros in American history, from Daniel Boone and George Rogers Clark through various Revolutionary War participants, to activities during the Civil War. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Hero To The People
I learned so many possible things that TR has done for us and his country. In my opinion, TR was a hero. He established U.S. leadership in the world as no other president had before. He was truly amazing. ... Read more

Book Description

Robert H. Jackson was one of the giants of the Roosevelt era: an Attorney General, a still revered Supreme Court Justice and, not least important, one of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's close friends and advisers.His intimate memoir of FDR, written in the early 1950s before Jackson's untimely death, has remained unpublished for fifty years. Here is that newly discovered memoir. Written with skill and grace, this is truly a unique account of the personality, conduct, greatness of character, and common humanity of 'that man in the White House,' as outraged conservatives called FDR. Jackson simply but eloquently provides an insider's view of Roosevelt's presidency, including such crucial events as FDR's Court-packing plan, his battles with corporate America, his decision to seek a third term, and his bold move to aid Britain in 1940 with American destroyers. He also offers an intimate personal portrait of Roosevelt--on fishing trips, in late-night poker games, or approving legislation while eating breakfast in bed, where he routinely began his workday. We meet a president who is far-sighted but nimble in attacking the problems at hand; principled but flexible; charismatic and popular but unafraid to pick fights, take stands, and when necessary, make enemies.That Man is not simply a valuable historical document, but an engaging and insightful look at one of the most remarkable men in American history. In reading this memoir, we gain not only a new appreciation for Roosevelt, but also admiration for Jackson, who emerges as both a public servant of great integrity and skill and a wry, shrewd, and fair-minded observer of politics at the highest level. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Everyday Reader
Robert H. Jackson's insightful and previously unpublished observations of FDR in his presidency appear and are notated in Professor Barrett's THAT MAN in a very readable arrangement. Here is a true and objective account by one who was there and witnessed the inside of the FDR years in the White House. These Jackson writing's being posthumous adds rarity and validity to the work, making it a true find for serious Roosevelt and Roosevelt period historians.

Robert Jackson Takes the Measure of FDR
This is a very interesting book which adds something of great value to the ever-growing mound of books on FDR. The fact that the manuscript was uncovered n a closet some 50 years after it was written is something for which students of FDR and presidential power can give thanks. It presents an entirely unique view and highly personal perspective on interacting with Roosevelt. Some of the most interesting discussion relates to interacting with FDR and his circle on an informal basis, such as on those fishing trips FDR savored. Also of great interest is the light the book throws on Jackson's own career--from the Treasury, to the SEC, then to Justice where successively Jackson was in the Tax Division, headed the Antitrust Division, became Solicitor General and Attorney General, and ultimately was elevated to the Supreme Court. Along the way we gain a fascinating perspective on such events as the Court Packing plan. The strongest chapter is on "That Man as Politician;" the most interesting "That ManCompanion and Sportsman." The editor has done an outstanding job in providing extensive notes, material from other sources to supplement the narrative, and in providing a biographical directory. But it is Jackson's own narrative skill that makes the book read so well. With a new major biography of Jackson himself on the horizon, this book becomes even more essential.

A refreshing look at our 32nd President
As a long-time admirer of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, I am always intrigued by new books that are published regarding his life or his Presidency. A book from a contemporary source that has such "insider" knowledge of how FDR operated as Robert Jackson is a marvelous addition to the existing literature.

Jackson does not make any promises at the outset of the book except to be objective, and he certainly does meet this goal. Jackson describes FDR as President, Commander-in-Chief, and a human being, outlining his strengths as well as his weaknesses. Jackson makes no excuses for the President when his policies and knowledge did not seem to be best for the country (Jackson even criticizes FDR for his lack of economic knowledge and business sense).

I enjoyed Jackson's writing style (he is considered by many to be one of the best authors to ever sit on the Supreme Court of the United States), and I found that the book was easy to read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in President Franklin Roosevelt - the stories and anecdotes given in the text make it highly readable, and the examples Jackson provides to detail his points are always logical and related to the subject at hand. ... Read more