Customer Reviews

Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt (Leaders in Action)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A insatiable reader of books on TR, I was immediately drawn to "Carry a Big Stick" by its small size and by its wealth of quotes from the President (something many authors neglect). Grant is unabashedly hero-worshipping here: no negatives are to be found. If one begins "Stick" with this in mind it can be accepted and tolerated. Though it is often colored by Grant's conservative ideology (he tags turn of the 20th century politicians with turn of the 21st century labels - and greatly underrepresents some of TR's progressive leanings), it does reveal some facts about Roosevelt's religious convictions and church activities - something that is absolutely ignored in most modern biographies of historic figures. The book is less a chronological account than a look by turns at each facet of the multi-talented and constantly moving President.

We home school our two children and this book will become mandatory reading material for each of them when they are in seventh grade. It is wonderfully inspiring to read about a man involved in politics who held such high ideals for himself and his country. He challanged himself to excell in every facet of his life (i.e. his faithfullness, his family, and his political life). He took his weaknesses and turned them into his strengths. This is a GREAT BOOK!

Few books are as tightly written for their clarity of thought and purpose in conveying what is required to rise above the level of mediocrity. The examples given of his life and accomplishments are very inspiring and sobering at the same time. I cannot imagine for one moment that any potential reader of this book would come away unaffected by one's lack of accomplishments and yet at the same time be wanting to make a concerted effort mentally and physically to make a difference. If more men and women knew the potential within themselves to accomplish things as Roosevelt did, there is little doubt that this world would be different.

What a wonderful book! Teddy Roosevelt was brilliantly ressurected for us by George Grant in this comprehensive, yet easy-to-read work (because of the chapter lengths). Section 1 is a biography of his life; Section 2 contains short chapters on his character, and many sides to his life; Section 3 deals with his legacy.

This book gives the reader a good look a life in the U.S. during the last half of the 19th century, as well as one of the period's most beloved of heroes.

This is an incredible book, that truly gives you the insight of one of the greatest men that ever lived. Filled with many incredible principles to live by, you WILL enjoy this book and the excitement it brings to your life!

TR really comes alive. Makes one wish that he were on the national scene today. Author must have pored through mountains of material to accomplish this summary. The best part of the book is the short topical chapters. Courage, faith, failure, etc are all addressed. Makes a mini "Book of Virtues". I am buying several copies for Christmas presents this year.

This is a great book about Theodore Roosevelt. I read it to see if I wanted to include it in my homeschool endeavors this school year for my 11 year old son. I feel it is more for an older child, say 14 and up, but as a general biography it is wonderful. There is only one part I would censor with an elementary age child and that is a reference to prostitution and other criminal activity in New York City that Roosevelt wanted to clean up (one paragraph) and the vocabulary is very advanced throughout the entire book. It is written from a Christian conservative view point and it offers loads of good character qualities and virtue. I look forward to reading more titles in the Leaders in Action Series and more from the author. Well done!

I really enjoyed this book. Theodore Roosevelt is a hero of mine and this was a great opportunity to learn more about his character and about the things which shaped his life.

When _Carry a Big Stick_ came across my desk, I was attracted to its small physical size and quick introduction to the hero rather than the usual ritual recapitulation of the rigors of writing.

I kept reading because George Grant choreographed words with a modest glamour seldom seen on the 90s litterary stage-such as "standardless pragmatism and cunning latitudinarianism," and "orthodoxy invariably begets orthopraxy."

Teddy Roosevelt is inspiring in both drive and humility in Grant's tale, intentionally the essence of TR, with a bias for Grant's view of character. Not "just another biography," because it shows what might have been Roosevelt's better side, _Stick_ could itself become a guidebook of measured success.

TR did not sip life; he gulped it. He did not nibble at knowledge; he gorged on it. He did not stroll; he charged! His style-as much as any accomplishment-is his legacy.

The chronology and the differentiation between TR, his father, and FDR are helpful to the non-historian.

Near its end, the book becomes repetitious-whether because the author circles again to moralize or has finally gotten the hang of cut and paste. Overlooking that, if you could use an infusion of passion, want to rethink what you're doing, or just want to do more or better, you might make this little volume your "scout manual" for a week!

In some ways, this is a very good book. It does a great job of bringing to light the many virtues of a most interesting and complex man. It sorts out the various aspects of Roosevelt's life and personality very nicely and does so in an engaging manner. TR was a fascinating man, and I really enjoyed learning more about him. But "Carry a Big Stick" also has some serious problems. For one thing, TR's blind spots and political mistakes are not even touched on, much less discussed in any depth. This makes the narrative somewhat facile and simple-minded, not the thorough, intelligent treatment that I would like in a biography.

In some ways, the hagiographic nature of the book did not bother me overly much because I bought the book for my bright 5th grader. She was supposed to read a presidential biography for a school project. Having a treatment that deals only with the most admirable aspects of the person seems appropriate for this circumstance. Unfortunately, the vocabulary in this book is too advanced for someone in the 5th-7th grades, even if the level of discourse is not. In the end, my daughter and I read the book together, stopping every few sentences so that I could provide a synonym for a difficult word. Now you might think this is not so bad, but if an author is going to write a simplistic biography, why not make it accessible to the most likely audience? In most cases, the esoteric words were not necessary, and I could easily come up with synonyms that my daughter knew.

What finally made me decide that I really didn't like the book was that toward the end it took on a political tone, very preachy and heavy-handed. It showed that the author had a very conservative political agenda that had little to do with Theodore Roosevelt. Until the last 50 pages or so, I enjoyed the book, but the end really ruined it for me. I was VERY glad that I was reading it along with my daughter because I was able to provide some perspective to counteract the political propaganda.