Customer Reviews

Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt

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

 

 

I always enjoy a read about TR and the original works OF TR, since he's a genuine hero. Lion in the White House is a good, solid, basic biography which adds very little to the scholarship of the extensive biographies of the past decade. The unique thing I really got from it is a reasonable interpretation of TR's intervention in the 1902 Anthracite Strike, reasonable being defined as I agree with it and it's a noble conclusion. (I have a strong Progressive bent. I'm allowed to. It's America - the America that TR believed in and worked for.) Edmund Morris's The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, Theodore Rex, and the (hopefully) to-be-written volume about the post-presidential years remain the gold standard of TR bio's, and H.W. Brands' TR: The Last Romantic runs a close second. Lion in the White House is a great place to start study of TR. The Library of America has published a volume called Theodore Roosevelt: Letters and Speeches, which gives thinking people some original source matter to read for themselves. One recommended and fun (if quirky) TR tome is My Last Chance to be a Boy, by Joseph Ornig, which is a detailed account of the 1913 - 14 Brazilian expedition.
The Democrats and Republicans of 1900 wouldn't recognize the parties of today. TR's policies and passions were not shaped around tired but limited modern menus of the stereotypical "right" and "left." For example, he was for open immigration, which would displease many today. He also strongly believed that immigrants needed to speak English and become Americans, rather than something hyphenated, which would displease the rest of modern politicos. Get a grip, we're not going to bring America forward by wrapping ourselves in emptiness, we need to actually READ TR's advice and get off our collective butts, THINK, REASON and ACT:
"It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds."

Please think twice before you waste your money on this biography.
It is an often irritation and annoying reading experience that is only comparable to an insipid, opinionated high school history textbook. This so-called "scholarly and academic" work by a writer with impressive credentials on paper has no footnotes, endnotes or a detailed bibliography. As a result the many questionable and provocative statements of historical fact and controversial interpretations of T.R's motivation by the author cannot be easily checked without recourse to other historical works.
I shuddered to think of the consequences if a graduate student had presented this weak effort as a thesis! Stick to Edmund Morris or H.W. Brands if you are looking for a real biography of T.R.

A most respectful, learned and concise biography of Theodore Roosevelt has been unleashed by historian Dr. Aida Donald. She covers it all in a forthright and approachable manner, the result of which is a fast paced and very readable book.

T. R.'s political life was a whirlwind of activeness to straighten what had been crooked. He was a man for the common good and fairness of the American laborer and the world at large. Fighting corruptness, injustices and contaminates in the political and private arena, whether domestic or internationally, Roosevelt was adhering to Lincoln's principles of progressivism and ideologies.

Two minor points:
Regarding the Spanish-American War in 1898, where it is stated that "The multimillionaire officer John Jacob Astor gave Roosevelt's regiment the munificent gift of a fully equipped battery- worth about a hundred thousand dollars...(page 90)". This was not the senior fur trade and real estate magnate himself as he died in 1848. It was possibly his descendant John Jacob Astor, IV.
Secondly, the River of Doubt, which T. R. descended and later was called the Rio Roosevelt, is south of the Amazon not north (page 256).
Great biography. Highly recommend.

This is not my period so I cannot attest to any of the specific details. I was simply looking at background on Roosevelt as a writer of American History. Besides Winston Churchill I can think of no easier subject for a short biography and the book does capture many of Roosevelt's accomplishments. However, this book is stunningly badly written and edited. And this is not simply the gratuitous digs at today's Republicans as noted by other reviewers. I cannot figure out how it received so many endorsements from renowned History professors. I understand that a short book on such a rich subject may lead to gaps - but there are so many gaps, jumps, incomplete thoughts and non sequiturs that it makes reading the book a jarring experience. In addition, Donald has a quirky and idiosyncratic way with the language.
Such criticisms clearly require supportive examples.
In terms of key issues being broached but never explored, Donald describes Roosevelt's run for Governor as follows: "Besides the trial with Platt as an obstacle to his progress, there was Edith's reluctance to re-enter public life. She soon became enthusiastic and even went to the State convention, held in Saratoga, New York, on September 27." P107 The phrasing of the first sentence is decidedly odd. Then we find that Edith's reluctance miraculously disappears though previously it was an obstacle on a level with the opposition of apparently the most powerful political boss in the New York Republican Party.
Other examples of Donald's odd phrasing include: "The new president did not throw caution to the winds, but boldly tacked in domestic and foreign afairs." P134
Then there is repetition: On pages 131 and 155, where Dr. Donald uses exactly the same quotes about lynching.
Then there is the sheer lack of clarity when Donald describes the complexities of New York politics and Roosevelt's need for support for his re-election as President:
"He(Roosevelt) also watched as two rival Republicans, Boss Platt and Benjamin Barker Odell, a rising politician, fought for control of the Republican Party. Odell found that Platt had lied to him and would not be his ally.
"During the struggle, Platt told Roosevelt that he would favor him continuing on as president, but Roosevelt did not put much stock in this because he thought Platt, who was not well, would be more likely to follow him than would Roosevelt." Page 141
Clearly there is something wrong here. An editor would have helped clear it up!!
Another disappointment was cursory examination of how and why Roosevelt ran again for President. But perhaps by then I was too jarred to follow Dr. Donald's line of reasoning.
Fortunately for Dr. Donald, her book is saved by the brilliance of Roosevelt.

The book reads like a seventh-grade text from the 1950s, complete with broad praise at the end of paragraphs, patronizingly simple prose, and summary treatment of complex happenings. I suppose its intended audience is the very mass public that TR tried to embody through his progressive policies, but he had a higher opinion of them than the author seems to have had when she wrote this book.

Donald adds nothing to the Roosevelt literature. Her book breaks no new research ground, gives us no new insight into the man's character or activities, and does not reinterpret any existing theories. Since none of those seem to have been intended by the author, I can't figure out the purpose of the book, except perhaps to give 12-year-olds something to read.

It is also not well written even for a younger audience. It has what seem like second references to things that haven't yet been introduced or explained, and makes generalizations about the man's character based on a single example. And for almost every example, there's a generalization.

Finally, the title is misleading since he doesn't enter the White House until almost half way into the book. In short, if you just want to know the bare minimum about TR, you're almost better off reading an encyclopedia.

From the title, I mistakenly assumed this was a book focused mainly on Roosevelt's time in the Presidency. Instead it's a much more full biography, detailing out in the rosiest terms his public and personal life. And unfortunately, that's the main weakness of the book.

Aida Donald presents Theodore Roosevelt as the most honest politician (yes, I know that's an oxymoron) since Abraham Lincoln, and repeatedly refers to him as bearing the "mantle of Lincoln." He rooted out crime everywhere, from his days as police commissioner in New York to busting up railroad cartels while president. He was a brave leader in battle, a friend to people of all colors, and a most loving husband and father. He built a stronger nation, preserved wilderness, and feared nothing (not even the beasts of the African plains, where he personally shot and killed nearly 300 animals: giraffes and zebras in addition to lions and rhinos). In fact, the man could do no wrong... which, of course, sounds like so much campaign flag-waving. Even when Donald admits to some controversy it's usually glossed over without recognizing any fault - the political maneuvering for the Panama Canal, his dismissal of an entire black battalion without a trial, etc.

I only know enough about Theodore Roosevelt to know that he wasn't *that* perfect. I imagine that he was a fine president and accomplished much that was admirable, but also that the reality isn't always so stellar. Still, even the events that we'd look upon today with a scornful eye must have been more palatable during his time, and that's the other story this book is missing: not only do we not get anything negative but nothing is put into the context of the time. Donald spends so much time explaining how Roosevelt took on big business that when she mentions the strong support they gave him for his second term election it seems to come out of nowhere.

Others have hit it right on the head when they say it sounds like it's written for high schoolers. It rings of an era when it wasn't acceptable to admit anything that might tarnish the image of a leader. Another complaint is that frequently the information is poorly organized. Some stories are repeated multiple times and often feel ill-placed in the narrative and could have been grouped for better effect. I recommend looking for a better biography.

For the many people who admire Theodore Rossevelt for his belief that corporations have a civic responsiblity to American citizens, new books on this icon of progressivism are always welcome. It is important, however, to temper one's affection for TR with expectations of scholarship, and when one does so, Donald's book fails to satisfy. Compared to the Morris two-volume biography, Donald's book lacks sufficient detail to be classified as a legitimate biography; instead, it seems to be a simple encomium. Serious readers will not learn anything that they did not already know about TR, and they may be offended by the book's shallow treatment. This book might be suitable for a junior high student as an introduction to TR, but it has little merit for a more adult audience.

I knew a few things about Theodore Roosevelt, but this book really gave me a lot of insight into the man and his politics. Well written and a quick read for those who don't want to read a huge biography.

It would be pointless for me to criticize this book for being too short, because it was obviously intended to be a quick read that provided an overview of Teddy Roosevelt's life. And it did that. Yes I would have liked to hear more about Roosevelt's insatiable oldest daughter, among other topics, but for the most part, I got what I wanted out of the book.

I had never read a TR book before, and I want to read McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback" at some point soon. I felt that to prepare for that book, which does not cover TR's entire life, I needed some background on the man. And "Lion in The White House" provided that.

This is the kind of book that you can read in a week and get an understanding of what Roosevelt's goals were as a politician, and what drove him to be as progressive as he was. It did whet my appetite for a more detailed study of the man. But this time, I wasn't looking for a 700-page or multi-volume monstrosity, so I'm glad Donald's book was on the shelf. As long as your expectations are for a short overview of TR, you will be pleased with this book. If you're looking for great depth and detail, you should look elsewhere.

A simple, positive review of the life of a notable American leader. It does not pretend to be an original scholarly or detailed work. Probably best for the person desiring only to become reacquainted with the always-exciting Theodore Roosevelt from a book that can be read in one transcontinental airline flight.

The author is a liberal who does not hide her disdain for the modern Republican Party. She also excessively highlights the influences of Lincoln on TR. (I wish the gentle influence of Lincoln, who was kind to animals, had been felt by TR when he went to Africa on safari and where he thought it useful to kill thousands of game animals.)