Morris utilizes quotes from several people that were in close proximity to Roosevelt both personally and professionally to describe the penetrating effect he had on those around him. He paints a picture of the man through not only the extensive correspondence and journals he kept, but also descriptions of the world he lived in.Īs much as Morris describes the world in which Roosevelt lived, he also depicts the world he shaped through an incredible cult of personality. It would be too easy to simply recount the first half of Roosevelt’s life through his various titles and positions, yet Morris instead provides the perhaps more important personal context for those accomplishments. It’s important then to recognize how skillful Morris is in thoroughly covering these accomplishments but not dwelling on them or letting them define both his book and its subject. This episode sets the tone for the ensuing 900 pages, a battle of will for someone that is constantly knocked down and by sheer determination continues to get back up.īefore reading the book most may have a basic recollection of Teddy Roosevelt’s extensive resume of accomplishments, ranging from professional historian and zoologist to New York City Police Commissioner and Medal of Honor nominee.
We get a glimpse of the determination and integrity of a man that by many accounts should barely have lived past adolescence due to wave after wave of illness.
Through this we are shown not only the collective affection for the President but also his own will and love for the people as by 2:00pm he has shaken over 8,000 hands without pause. Morris describes the incredible line of people stretching down Pennsylvania Avenue and the overwhelming impression each is left with when they look Roosevelt in the eyes and take his hand. Morris cleverly introduces the story’s hero through the eyes of people that waited hours in freezing January temperatures to grip the President’s hand for no more than a second and a half. The book opens with a rich anecdote of the annual New Year’s Day ritual in which citizens of the Capital would file through the White House to shake the President’s hand. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt covers this time period, from his birth in 1858 to his first day in office as President in 1901 after William McKinley was shot. America’s 26th President was a personality that knew few bounds and even less fear and unlike many of those before or after him, he could have retired at the age of 40 having never entered the White House with an already incredible list of accomplishments. While it would be difficult to capture the spirit of any American President, a position held by some of our most complex citizens, it would seem almost impossible to relate the essence of one of the greatest, Theodore Roosevelt.
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