Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt

Rating:
Summary: A Character Study, Not A Biography
Review: "Mornings on Horseback" is more of a character study than a biography. Stretching from TR's birth until his marriage to Edith Carow, McCullough's purpose is to cover the factors which molded TR into the man that he became. The book ends when, McCullough believes, TR's character was formed.

What I found most interesting about this book is not only what is featured, but what is not. McCullough obviously believe that family played a major role I shaping TR's character. The first, and probably greatest influence on TR was his father, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., Greatheart to his family. It was his father who was his role model and whose charitable works planted the seeds of TR's social conscience. It was Greatheart who opened TR's mind to foreign cultures during the trips across Europe and on the Nile. It was his father's observation that TR had the mind but not the body which started TR on a body building program to give him a body to match his mind.

Miscast as a business man, Greatheart used his inheritance in philantrophic work, supporting the Children's Aid Society, the Orthopedic Hospital, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the American Museum of Natural History, living his belief that social status came with accompanying duties. Out of deference to his Georgia born wife, Mittie, Greatheart hired a substitute to take his place in the Union Army, while he initiated programs to help the soldier and his dependents, meeting Abraham Lincoln in the process. This action is often cited as having created a debt which TR sought to pay during the Spanish American War.

Greatheart's death at age 46 was one of the greatest tragedies of TR's life. During his first day in the White House, TR felt as if his father's hand was on his shoulder.

Other significant familial influences on the youthful TR were his uncles, James and Irvine Bulloch. Exiled to England after their service in the Confederate States Navy, James, particularly, played a major role in developing TR's interest in naval affairs.

McCullough obviously believes that TR's youthful asthma was a major factor in molding his character. The reader receives a medical education on asthma, including the theory that its attacks are often anxiety driven. McCullough then explains how he believes that TR's asthma attacks reflect what was happening in his life at the times of the attacks.

Alice Lee, TR's first wife, completely captured TR's love before her passing drove him into cattle country exile.

The critical high points in TR's early political career are well reported. The incidents of his entry into politics, an unseemly profession for most of his class, the challenges and disappointments of his legislative career all lead up to the 1884 Republican National convention, after which TR, frustrated in his efforts to deny nomination to James G. Blaine, chose to stick with party rather than to bolt to the Reformers.

Some of the topics which fill so many pages in standard biographies are deamed to be less important to the theme of this book. TR's early interest in animals and natural history barely attracts McCullough's attention, probably because after its abandonment, it had little lasting effect on his character. While attention is devoted to his time in the Bad Lands and his hunting trips, they do not receive the attention that they do in standard biographies.

"Mornings On Horseback" is written in a style which will always hold the readers' interest. Unlike some books dealing with a subject's youth, this one focuses on TR's experiences which had lifelong impacts.

I do not recommend "Mornings On Horseback" as an introduction to TR. I do recommend it as a character study for those who are already familiar with the facts of TR's life and who desire to develop a deeper understanding of his character. For this it is excellent.

Rating:
Summary: Too short!! I wanted to read another 400 pages!
Review: David McCullough is a masterful story teller and biographer of American icons. His book on Harry Truman is considered his best, but this look at the young Theodore Roosevelt is quite good. The major criticism of the book is that McCullough spends an inordinate amount of time on TR's parents, neither of whom are especially interesting. There is also an enormous amount of background material on the Oyster Bay wealthy clique, their customs, habits and privileged manners. This can get boring pretty quickly.

But the majority of the text is rightly devoted to TR, who is as fascinating a man who ever lived. It's all here: his ability to speak languages, his amazing memory, the fact he read a book every day, his passion for the outdoor life, his years at Harvard. His romances are here as well, including his early passion for eventual wife Edith, whom he threw over for his first wife, Alice.

The book ends after Alice's death and TR retreats for two years to emotionally heal in the Badlands. If you have an interest in TR, this is an essential, "must have" book. It does bog down in too many details early on, but the bulk of the book is excellent. Recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Too short!! I wanted to read another 400 pages!
Review: For anyone who is a fan of Teddy Roosevelt, this is absolutely required reading. I enjoy reading non-fiction but do consider it my more serious (ie less fun) reading. This is one, that I literally couldnt put down. I read it in a day and a half. While other reviewers have indicated that they thought McCullough spent too much time on TR's parents or the lifestyle he was born in to- I don't see how one could have written a book without those details. McCullough's book focuses on how TR grew up to be one of our nation's most famous presidents. How can you discuss such a subject without taking a close look at his family, his society and his childhood asthma. I really found the discussion of the causes of childhood asthma interesting as well. I think McCullough paints a wonderful picture of TR as a boy and young man- he really captures the spirit of one of our most engaging presidents. I only wish McCullough wrote another book that picked up where this one left off.

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Summary: TR: There he is!
Review: In this wonderful biography, David McCullough states that he wanted to follow Theodore Roosevelt's life up to the point where the reader could say, "There he is."; the point at which he became the man we know. Early on, one of TR's relatives had told McCullough that no book had ever taken into account the extent to which TR was part of a clan. This became the focus of "Mornings on Horseback". And what a clan it was. The book gives wonderful portraits of his beloved father, Theodore,SR. Known as "Greatheart" and revered by all for his good works. Ironically, he was so outshone by his frail namesake, as to be all but forgotten today. We also meet his southern belle mother, Mittie, his siblings, and the love of his life, the tragic Alice Lee. Along the way, McCullough gives vibrant portraits of Old New York, Harvard, the Badlands, and the political scene of the day. The book is so well-researched, that we even get a fascinating chapter on the medical/psychological aspects of the asthma that plagued TR all his life. The best biographies read like a novel, and this one is no exception. It's a wonderful book, and you'll love meeting all the fascinating people in it, not the least of which, is TR himself.

Rating:
Summary: short but still fulfilling
Review: McCullough is what EVERY historian should aspire to be; a master storyteller, who can still employ the past tense but not tip you off to what's going to happen. And even though TR is a figure from more than a century ago, you still want to to turn the pages to see what is going to happen next, even though you may already know. That's the mark of an excellent writer, and David McCullough is first and foremost an excellent writer. This is a wonderful book, and a good starter bio for anyone who wants to learn about one of our most colorful and interesting presidents.

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Summary: Hangover of the Century
Review: One historical concept will almost certainly come to be after time allows historians a polite distance from the 20th Century: the first 70 years belong to the Roosevelts. Hidden behind all the white noise of two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Communism, assassinations, genocides, computers, automobiles, television, telephones and airplanes is a political reality. US self-definition of the 20th Century was personified by Theodore Roosevelt and almost no other public figure. His popularity, honesty, stoicism and ideals, all the best of the way Americans wished to view themselves, allowed the ghost of his kinsman, Franklin Delano to point US political direction for the remainder of the Century.

Theodore was the son of a wealthy New York elite who paid a substitute to serve in his place on the battlefields of the Civil War and the slave owning Southern Belle who was probably the model for Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. While his mother and grandmother were sending packages to the South via blockade-runners and most of his kinsmen South of the Mason-Dixon Line were dying in battle, the tyke Teddy expressed the wish that all `rebel soldiers would be ground to powder'. He idolized his father throughout his life, but barely mentioned his mother in his autobiography.

Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, hero of San Juan Hill, Trust-Buster, cowboy, rancher, and founder of the earliest National Parks, National Wilderness Areas, and National Forests, Roosevelt was largely responsible for the 20th Century love affair with the West. Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, John Wayne and Roy Rogers would have all lived different lives if Teddy Roosevelt had followed the footprints of his father (and there'd be no `Teddy Bear'). So would we all live in an entirely different America.

David McCullough gives us a great account of this man of contrasts and his family. I recommend it as the best work ever compiled on a man who might one day be hailed as the `best' president America ever had. McCullough gives us a human Roosevelt who carried all the best attributes of the 19th Century into the present.

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Summary: The Delightful Perceptions of a Master
Review: The distinctive quality of David McCullough's works is that he refuses to insult his reader with a less than honest view of his subject while making allowances for the fact that in writing history, he was not present to be able to interpret what the circumstances were, or what they might have been. He is an intellectual's author in expressing, as well as he can, the intricacies of well defined patterns of communication that existed at the time that likely made an impact on his subject to define his perspective and his action. This is a solid effort to give both character and accuracy to the personality as he might have been, and probably was, without attributing his own knowledge of today's events onto his subject, a tendency of increasing frequency. The reason for this is his dedicated and meticulous research into his subject, a model of historical recording, without unduly influencing the reader. The value of reflecting the accuracy of historical events is that it offers the reader his own perspective to interpret historical events rather than a canned version by the author. Of course, McCullough may draw upon unique events to help identify information previously glossed over in his attempts to portray that accuracy. This is an acceptable license in biographical accounts though not always followed with such careful editing. The exciting part of McCullough's writing is that he has the humility to identify his subjects as extraordinary, and is a willing participant in helping the reader to see that as well, a real credit to his choice of subject. His fascination is transmitted to the reader in a thoughtful measure of the man, or the event, he has researched, the mark of a very distinguished writer who adores his work, and is successful for that reason.

Rating:
Summary: A portrait of a family
Review: This book is the first concentrated work I've ever read on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. But it would not be accurate to call this work a biography of TR, rather it is the story of his entire family and the way in which his upbringing shaped the man he was to become.

The book chronicles "Teedie's" life from birth up until his second marriage to once childhood friend, Edith Carow. The author goes into great detail about the family's struggles with Theodore's asthma, their trips abroad which included a year long exploration across Europe and a boat trip down the Nile, the beginnings of Theodore's life-long interest in natural science ( which even extended to taxidermy), his years at Harvard and his first significant jump into the political arena at the Republican National Convention in 1884. Like anyone else, Theodore's life was not untouched by tragedy but still it comes as a devastating blow when both his first wife, Alice Lee, and his mother pass away on the exact same day. Theodore then retreats to the Badlands where he is enthralled with the idea of being a cowboy and spends a total of three years pursuing this interest while regaining his focus on life.

Yet for all the biographical information included in the book its most enduring theme is the importance of Theodore's family life, especially the tremendous influence of his father, Theodore Roosevelt senior ( Greatheart), an influence that would remain with him his entire life. Mr. McCullough also brings to life a marvelous portrait of Theodore's mother, Mittie, a strong and resilient Southern born beauty who was greatly adored by Theodore and his three siblings.

If you have even the slightest interest in reading about one of our greatest Presidents, this book would definitely be worth your time. It is not a dry sort of biography but instead a warm and intimate look at a family of extraordinary wealth and privilege leading a life with very ordinary values and morals.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Perspective On A Legendary Family
Review: This book offers something new to the history of Theodore Roosevelt:

The reader gets a close look at the environment and family life that shaped and molded this great leader.
After reading this book you will have new insight into seeing why T.R. acted as he did.
The author mentions in the preface that he was told by a relative of T.R. that the one thing all the other bigraphies and books on the Roosevelts lacked was seeing how the family was part of a clan - that this was indeed a huge influence on T.R. This book will show you what this means.
Mr. McCullough is a brilliant and entertaining author. This book will also be enjoyable for those of you who enjoyed him in the Presidents series on PBS.

Highly Recommended