The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America [Hardcover]

Albert Marrin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 27, 2007

We knew toil and hardship and hunger and thirst . . . but we felt the hardy life in our veins, and ours was the glory of work and the joy of living.

?Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt is one of America?s liveliest and most influential figures. He was a scholar, cowboy, war hero, explorer, and a brilliant politician. As president, Roosevelt?s far-reaching policies abroad and at home forever changed both our nation?s place in the world and the life of every modern American.

Fascinating details and an intimate, fast-paced narrative explore the heroic life and complex world of an American icon.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Along the lines of his George Washington and the Founding of a Nation (2001), Marrin offers a twin portrait of American society in a time of profound change and the life of a figure so dominant in the politics and self-image of the time that he has become an enduring symbol. A polymath who published some 18 million words and was the first American to receive a Nobel Prize, Roosevelt (no one who knew him well called him "Teddy") was also given to dancing exultantly around the big game he slaughtered, and to blasting (in print) the presidents who succeeded him. Marrin gives him "a place in the front rank of our country's heroes," particularly for his achievements in environmental conservation, but also shows him acting badly—for example in the shameful Brownsville incident. Numerous endnotes and contemporary photos and prints add to this scholarly profile, which, like Betsy Harvey Kraft's Theodore Roosevelt: Champion of the American Spirit (2003), will give serious history students a solid grounding in the man's times, career, and forceful character. Peters, John

About the Author

Albert Marrin is a much-decorated historian and writer whose most recent book, Terror of the Spanish Main, was called "addictive reading" in The Horn Book. He lives in Riverdale, New York.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (December 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525476598
• ISBN-13: 978-0525476597
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #993,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Albert Marrin is an award winning author of over 40 books for young adults and young readers and four books of scholarship. These writings were motivated by the fact that as a teacher, first in a junior high school in New York City for nine years and then as professor of history and chairman of the history department at Yeshiva University until he retired to become a full time writer, his paramount interest has always been to make history come alive and accessible for young people.

Winner of the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal for his work, which was presented at the White House, was given "for opening young minds to the glorious pageant of history. His books have made the lessons of the past come alive with rich detail and energy for a new generation."

Dr. Marrin's numerous other awards include the Washington Post Childrens'Book Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, the James Madison Award for Lifetime Achievement, several Horn Book awards by the Boston Globe, consistently appearing on the best book of the year lists of the American Library Association, frequent recognition by Book Lists, and the Western Heritage Award for best juvenile nonfiction book presented at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame among others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good biography, September 8, 2008

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America (Hardcover)

In this interesting biography, author and historian Professor Albert Marrin presents the life and times of Theodore Roosevelt. Beginning with a look at mid-nineteenth century Manhattan and Theodore Roosevelt's parents, the author then goes through the history of the United States, and the life of Roosevelt, as the one affected the other and vice versa.

Overall, I found this to be a very interesting book. The author did a very good job of presenting President Roosevelt's life and the history of America in a brief yet informative manner, giving the reader a good understanding of who Theodore Roosevelt was and what he accomplished. My biggest gripe against this book, however, is that the author often seems to be talking down to the reader, as if a young reader needs to be told not just what the facts are but also what to think about them. After a short period of time I began to find it rather irritating.

But, that said, I do think that this is an interesting read, and a good biography of the twenty-sixth President of the United States.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, December 29, 2008

By 

Leslie S. (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America (Hardcover)

I have read a lot about Roosevelt and didn't expect to learn much new, but being an Albert Marrin fan, decided to read the book anyway. Well, being an Albert Marrin fan, I should have known I would be learning a lot even if I had read a lot about Roosevelt. The reason being, he doesn't just focus on TR, he also talks a lot about the times in which he lived and the people around TR. This would be an excellent read for a high schooler studying US history or the 20th century. I would make any of Albert Marrin's works must reading for those in honor classes or AP.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Theodore Roosevelt, June 11, 2008

By 

T. L. Weiner (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great Adventure: Theodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America (Hardcover)

Albert Marrin is a wonderful writer and he brings history to life. I have read several of his books and he has never failed to be informative and interesting. By the time you have finished the book, you feel as though you have met the person you are reading about. Unlike most biographies, he doesn't waste a lot of space on idle information. He gets to the point and gives you the important points while keeping the reader wanting more. I suggest all his books