Theodore Rex

I just finished Edmund Morris’ book on Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency entitled “Theodore Rex.” It is an amazing work. Its incredible detail presented in an accessible format allows the reader to really get the scope of the man – from his flaws to his great successes.

TR’s energy and life make him seem almost superhuman. Its hard to imagine an individual such as this ever inhabiting the White House. The man spent large swaths of his presidency eating and exercising. Morris provides many anecdotes about the adventures of TR. My favorite was how he would drag along members of his administration for hikes and swims – often times forcing them through mud, rain and wilderness. Despite his athletic prowess I can’t imagine Bush asking his staff to join him skinny dipping in Virginia.

Morris’ book isn’t flawless. He gets wrapped up in certain events of Roosevelt’s presidency while skirting over others. The reader is presented entire chapters on gunboat diplomacy in Venezuela, Panama and Morocco while getting comparatively very little on the insurrection in the Philippines. I would have liked to read more about trust-busting – one of the seminal achievements of TR’s tenure.

All criticisms aside this is a must-read biography for any fan of American history. This is Morris’ second book in a trilogy on the 26th President.