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A review by utahmomreads
Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris
5.0
After reading the fabulous and fascinating "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Morris last year, I was anxious to continue the journey. Roosevelt's life leading up to the presidency of the United States was in constant motion and excitement and the first volume of the biography reads the same way.
"Theodore Rex" deals only with the 7 1/2 years of Roosevelt's presidency. I became completely engrossed in the political atmosphere at the beginning of the Twentieth Century and Roosevelt's actions and reactions as the president. I found it especially interesting that many of the political issues of 2010 were issues in 1907 too. Politics doesn't really change very much.
As president, Roosevelt, who many feared would be a warmonger, negotiated peace between other countries and kept the U.S. out of war. He demonstrated to the international community a willingness to action if necessary which often resulted in peaceful settlements. He "built" the Panama Canal. He negotiated settlements during labor disputes; broke up trusts; called for conservation of natural resources (the first federal land grab which resulted in many of our best known and beloved National Parks); built a much stronger navy; and cleaned up and regulated the food industry. He also brought so much more power to the executive branch and beefed up the federal government. While I believe he believed that he was doing the best thing for the United States, I personally think he may have lacked the foresight to think about the consequences of such a strong post when he was no longer filling it.
Again, Morris delivers a readable and enjoyable tome of the amazing life of Theodore Roosevelt.
"Theodore Rex" deals only with the 7 1/2 years of Roosevelt's presidency. I became completely engrossed in the political atmosphere at the beginning of the Twentieth Century and Roosevelt's actions and reactions as the president. I found it especially interesting that many of the political issues of 2010 were issues in 1907 too. Politics doesn't really change very much.
As president, Roosevelt, who many feared would be a warmonger, negotiated peace between other countries and kept the U.S. out of war. He demonstrated to the international community a willingness to action if necessary which often resulted in peaceful settlements. He "built" the Panama Canal. He negotiated settlements during labor disputes; broke up trusts; called for conservation of natural resources (the first federal land grab which resulted in many of our best known and beloved National Parks); built a much stronger navy; and cleaned up and regulated the food industry. He also brought so much more power to the executive branch and beefed up the federal government. While I believe he believed that he was doing the best thing for the United States, I personally think he may have lacked the foresight to think about the consequences of such a strong post when he was no longer filling it.
Again, Morris delivers a readable and enjoyable tome of the amazing life of Theodore Roosevelt.