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. Why they chose the droll voice as the basis for narration I cannot say.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. During several brief passages you hear him drift off into various accents - which he does superbly.
My only comment would be that the narrator is somewhat droll in his reading.
These 4 discs take you up to and beyond the birth of his daughter - and how his life was forever changed after that event (you'll understand when you listen). His first hand experience in the Bad Lands let to modern day Governmental conservatism and the National Park system (addressed in Theodore Rex). The United States should thank our very stars that Roosevelt eventually rose to power. While this book is fairly dry - most biographies are - you gain a true sense of his very nature and what makes him distinct from his contemporaries. By age 19 he's found his voice, become quite outgoing, and his intellect separates him from the drolls of the well-educated, well-to-do, status-quo peers at harvard. Of the Chosen Class (sons and daughters of the Rich) he stands apart - and his Naturalism (love of nature) truly comes out. This is the first half of the Pulitzer winning biography, you see "Teddy", small and weakly, benefit from his misfortunes.
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