Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography [Paperback]

Theodore Roosevelt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2007

We of the great modern democracies must strive unceasingly to make our several countries lands in which a poor man who works hard can live comfortably and honestly- and in which a rich man cannot live dishonestly nor in slothful avoidance of duty; and yet we must judge rich man and poor man alike by a standard which rests on conduct and not on caste...' (Excerpt from original Introduction)

Product Details

• Paperback: 532 pages
• Publisher: BiblioBazaar (March 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434603199
• ISBN-13: 978-1434603197
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,673,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

165 of 177 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only way to really understand what made T.R. tick., April 12, 1999

By 

Richard J. Larrabee ([e-mail]) (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Outstanding! This book is a tome of philosophy, adventure, intrigue, and above all, inspiration. Notwithstanding these encomia however, the reader should beware before making a hegira into its noble pages that this autobiography does not follow the traditional structure of a "biography." Rather it can be described as being a compendium of T.R.'s philosophy on life. The true strength of its pages being found in how T.R.'s experiences and actions staunchly uphold and support his 'vigor of life' and probity which he so often addressed as being fundamental to all good Americans. Accordingly, I suggest a first-time reader of T.R. would be best served by initially reading a more "objective" biography of T.R. (I suggest Nathan Miller's Theodore Roosevelt, A Life) in order to become familiar with the events and time frames involved. This will allow the reader to more appreciate the nature, values and beliefs of the great man as told in this book by the ultimate authority, himself.

Along with being completely inspired by a man of such high moral values, the factual anecdotes related in this book comfort you in the knowledge that this hero practiced what he preached. In a speech by his own hand, T.R. embodied his own life; "The credit belongs to the man in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;...who strives valiantly...who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never known neither victory nor defeat."

T.R. was a naturalist, legislator, cowboy, businessman, soldier, author, conservationist, U.S. President, world explorer, and above all an inspirational "doer of deeds." This book eloquently tells the reader why he felt he needed to perform these deeds and what was going through his mind all the while.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Chronicler of His Own Life and Times, September 29, 2009

By 

Marc Korman (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Having read several books about TR, I have heard a lot about his writing. Other than reading some of his letters and quotes in books, I had never read any of his work but picked his autobiography up from a used bookstore. I was looking for the Naval War of 1812, but ended up with this instead. I was not disappointed. Some parts of the book definitely dragged and if your patience for legislative maneuvering prior to 1900 in the New York legislature is limited, you might want to skip to the back half of the book. But what comes through in the book are TR's passions: books, the outdoors, conserving the outdoors, and the Navy.

The first half of the book is essentially told chronologically. But when TR gets to his presidency, he tells the tale thematically. There are chapters on conservation, trust busting and other industrial issues, and two chapters on international affairs. Unfortunately, the book ends with his presidency and does not go into TR's world travels or his comeback bid in 1912. TR's dislike for his hand picked successor, President Taft, permeates the presidency chapters.

As with any autobiography, especially a presidential one, TR views himself as always right and his opponents as always wrong. His views on Taft are a good example of that. But that can hardly be viewed as a failing of the book, since that is a standard characteristic of these types of books.

If you want a first hand view of the man in the arena, what he tried to do and how he tried to lead his life, read the book.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mother of All Presidential Memoirs, June 30, 2004

By 

William D. King "Dennis King" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Theodore Roosevelt: An Autobiography (Paperback)

Witty, quirky, profound, lyrical--this is one of the great American memoirs. The 1999 Modern Library and National Review rankers of the 100 great nonfiction books of the 20th century missed the boat on this one.