This is a fairly easy read, although I did have to make several trips to the dictionary. That's more of a comment about my lack of vocabulary than about the author. I did find Donald to have an easy style of writing that flowed well and didn't become bogged down or heavy. She clearly liked her subject, although I'm not sure she liked the Republican party, at least of that era. This book is mostly a study of Roosevelt's public life with less focus on his private life. I would have liked to read more about the details of his childhood and about his family life, but that will have to wait for a longer biography.
I certainly don't agree with everything that Theodore Roosevelt did, but this book gave me a little bit more of an appreciation for why he's on Mount Rushmore. I wish I could be as smart and confident as he was or have his boundless energy. I don't particularly care for the fact that killing man or beast didn't seem to have much of an effect on him.
One thing that particularly stood out for me was that he was raised in a rich household that was always giving money to charitable causes. But Theodore's father never took him to see who it was that needed this charity. It wasn't until he was older when he visited a squalid tenement in which a family lived and worked that he understood the difference between their lives and his. It shaped his future work. By the time I got to the end of the book, I was sad to read about Roosevelt's death.
It was an enjoyable work about an amazing individual and well worth the read.
This sounds very good! Thanks for the review. I've always liked Roosevelt, but admittedly my knowledge of him is thin.
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