Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bully!, March 30, 2005
Woodrow Wilson once said, " A man who makes no mistakes usually makes nothing at all." Wilson in no way intended this statement to be used in praise of his fierce rival Theodore Roosevelt but I can think of no better description of the life of this Bull Moose of American politics. Roosevelt was a man of action and sometimes a loose cannon and Patricia O 'Toole has written a wonderful book which shows very clearly why this quotation so aptly fits TR.
O 'Toole's book covers the last ten years of Roosevelt's life, a time of retirement for a man who was not yet ready to retire. She follows Roosevelt on his African safari, his triumphant tour of Europe, the split with President Taft, the 1912 campaign, the Brazilian expedition, World War I and his preparations to run for President again in 1920. It is a fascinating and enjoyable journey that one undertakes in reading this book and I am glad that this author has given me the chance to follow Roosevelt's journey in print for I doubt that I could have kept up with him in real life.
The main thesis of this book is that Roosevelt had an overwhelming need for power and enjoyed conflict to the point that both of these weaknesses often clouded his judgment. The author makes her point very clearly and backs up her argument with hard evidence, giving the reader very little reason to doubt her argument. She is a little harsh on TR occasionally, especially when it comes to Roosevelt's split with Taft, but for the most part she is very fair and even handed. In the case of Roosevelt's support for the efforts of the government to suppress free speech during World War I and his backing of silly initiatives to ban all things German she is probably too soft on the old lion.
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the icons of American history and it would be difficult for any author to make any part of this man's story dull. It is quite another thing however for an author to get inside the soul of Mr. Roosevelt and I believe that O 'Toole has done just that. From TR's habit of dismissing those who disagreed with him as unmanly or cowardly to the deep grief and guilt he felt when his son Quentin was killed in the war, this book will lead the reader to the depths of Roosevelt's soul. Although it only covers Roosevelt's post White House years this is the best biography of the old Rough Rider that I have yet to come across. Far superior in it's readability and energy to the Edmund Morris books.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An essential book for those who really want to know the man, April 2, 2005
The formerly powerful face a difficult readjustment when they leave their offices. Their individual characters dictate exactly how complicated this transition will be, and we learn a lot about such people by studying how they cope. In WHEN TRUMPETS CALL, Patricia O'Toole examines the last years of the life of Theodore Roosevelt.
Writer, explorer, naturalist, devoted family man, human dynamo, and twenty-sixth president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt was only fifty years old when he completed his two terms of office and had ten years of his life left to fill. He went out on a high note, sure that his personally chosen successor, William Howard Taft, would continue the progressive agenda Roosevelt's two Republican administrations had put in place.
Hoping to avoid the appearance of dictating policy to the new president, Roosevelt distanced himself as far from Washington as he possibly could. He spent his first year out of office on safari in Africa with his son, Kermit. One of the real pleasures of WHEN TRUMPETS CALL is that, because so much of it is drawn from the correspondence of Roosevelt's family and friends, we get vivid portraits of all his intimates, including his sons, who had real challenges in keeping up with their father.
Returning to the United States, it was apparent that Taft would not uphold Roosevelt's progressive work. Remembered as one of our most mediocre presidents, the Taft administration served the interests of big business whenever it could, foiling Roosevelt's legacy. Roosevelt claimed to act out of a sense of duty. He felt responsible that he had chosen an unworthy successor and saw no other way to rectify the situation than to regain the presidency himself. Although his sense of duty was one of the best and strongest elements of Roosevelt's character, he also found the redemption of his lost power to be irresistible.
He formed the Bull Moose Party and split the Republican vote, allowing Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the presidency. In Roosevelt's criticism of Taft and Wilson, we see the small side of a big man. In print and public speeches, he carped about every decision they made, from Taft's lazy corporate coddling to Wilson's procrastination about entering World War I. Roosevelt's petulance lost him his audience, and by the time the United States had entered World War I, Wilson saw no reason to include Roosevelt in the war effort.
For a man who took such well-deserved pride in his usefulness, sidelining was a painful insult. Unfortunately, World War I had other blows in store for him. First, he watched his sons go off to war and participate as he could not. Then, his youngest son, Quentin, was shot out of the sky and killed. The Roosevelt philosophy of strenuous service turned back on itself, and Roosevelt never seemed to recover from his loss.
Patricia O'Toole has written a sensitive, sophisticated study of a great man at a vulnerable time. Although there are many books on Theodore Roosevelt, WHEN TRUMPETS CALL is an essential volume for those who really want to know the man.
--- Reviewed by Colleen Quinn
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Post-White House Years, July 21, 2005
Patricia O'Toole has written a thoughtful and moving account of the post-White House years of Theodore Roosevelt, a period in which he had to face the realization of power lost, at least the power to effect events and be the principal player. Her account of Roosevelt is based on good primary and secondary sources, she particularly relied on many letters which helps to bring out the man. As the author mentioned and the title of the book clearly suggests, Roosevelt loved the sound of the trumpet call and in this book we see Roosevelt answering the call, both for the greater good as he saw it and sometimes for his own personal ambitions.
O'Toole details the many events that took place in this period of Roosevelt's life from big game hunting in Africa, a failed third party bid to win back the Oval Office in 1912, exploration in South America, to the oncoming of the First World War and his stinging criticisms of the Wilson Administration's handling of the war effort, and his own family's sacrifices in serving their country. Each episode is written exceedingly well which makes this a book that is hard to put down. The reader can sense Roosevelt's ambitions, his hopes, his frustrations, and especially his love for his family and the sense of duty and service to country he instilled in his children.
Roosevelt's disappointment with his chosen successor Taft was well discussed in this book, Taft especially seemed to have been deeply hurt by the rift in their friendship. Roosevelt took on more radical progressive stands as he fought his way to the 1912 nomination, perhaps part sincerely and part political calculation. He was also an early voice for preparing the nation for war, before and after America's involvement, even calling on President Wilson to let him train volunteers and lead them into battle, but the idea was refused, perhaps wisely. Roosevelt had a strong dislike for Wilson and his criticisms never abated.
The last chapters are very moving as they detail the Roosevelt children in their roles of service during World War I. He felt proud in instilling into his sons the sense of service for country and the honor of serving on the front lines and even being wounded to prove one's merit. A romantic ideal in some ways, but an ideal taken a bit far in my opinion. Tragically he would lose one son, Quentin. The feelings expressed by the father are very moving.
Roosevelt's life was never dull. He accomplished many things in his lifetime, but maybe he didn't know how to exit the stage gracefully, or perhaps more accurately, didn't want to leave the stage. O'Toole's book is useful in how it shows the trappings of power. Captain Archibald Butt made an astute remark after Roosevelt's return home from a tour in Europe that he was a changed man, with the potential to do more good or more harm. If the thesis of this book which concerns Roosevelt as a man in his last decade of life not knowing how to cope with the loss of power isn't an original idea, it is still one that should be told and offers many lessons. Her book is very well written and offers a well-rounded portrait of the often larger-than-life Theodore Roosevelt in his final decade after the White House.
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