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

1. This book given to my brother, a history buff, who did not like it. He raved about 1776 by the same author.



2. I NEVER RECIEVED THIS BOOK. It was returned to sender as undeliverable. The reason is the address was to my winter residence for which I have a mail transfer through the post office with mail going to my summer address and the post office would not transfer anything except fist class mail and I didn't know that when I placed the order. I will have to order it again after October first.



3. Overall, not bad with some entertainment and it got better in the second half. Won't read it again though..



4. I thought I knew much about Theodore Roosevelt before I read this book, but learned even more about him and find that he is an inspiration, the way he got over all the troubles that he had as a young child.
   A very good book. Entertaining and informative.



5. One of McCullough's early books, 'Mornings on Horseback' may surprise readers more accustomed to the author's definitive treatments of Harry Truman or John Adams. The intentions of 'Mornings on Horseback' are slightly more modest than either of those books: it documents only Theodore Roosevelt's early life and does not attempt to be the last word as a biography of this great American president. And yet, it is no less a book for that. McCullough deftly traces the young TRs transformation from a sickly, introverted child of a wealthy New York family to a robust, confident adult ready to tackle the vast promise of America. Using family letters and diaries--and drawing on his incomparable knowledge of American history and culture--McCullough brings TR to life as a vivid, compelling, and surprisingly poignant figure. A great read....One only wishes that McCullough had gone on to do a full multi-volume TR opus. (Perhaps there's still time.) Anyway, if you like McCullough, you'll love this book. Read it!

5 comments about Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks).

1. Don't misunderstand, this was a very good book, but it left me a little flat, because it wasn't--long enough. I know, 772 pages is plenty long, but 220 pages of that are notes and index.
   
   The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks) by the same author, covering the years of his life up to the presidency, seemed to complete a more detailed portrait of that phase of TR's life. This book seemed to brush over the eight presidential years in watercolor fashion, much like the jacket portrait of Teddy at repose in soft focus.
   
   Still, this is a very worthy effort that leaves me wanting more, not less, about this amazing "dynamogenic" man who as President just devoured the landscape around him (literally and figuratively), and seldom stood at repose in soft focus.
   
   It is not a wonder that Ronald Reagan found Roosevelt his model for governing, and it is clear that after Lincoln and Washington, Roosevelt must stand as the President guiding his country through the most perilous times with the strongest hand.



2. Edmund Morris's second book in a projected three volume set about Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent tome, meticulously researched and extremely well-written. The years are pivotal in American history, from 1901 through 1909 as America becomes more involved in world affairs. Roosevelt was a larger than life character in his interests and ambitions. Morris makes superb use of TR's papers and other documents to render an accurate portrait of one of America's most beloved and energetic presidents. He makes ample use of the archives of Roosevelts observes like John Hay, William Howard Taft and others. Roosevelt was the youngest president and the books bursts with his mesmerizing accomplishments such as Western conservation, author, monopoly busting, Republican advances in race and labor as well as his quiet sponsorship of a revolution in Colombian province called Panama - where he later built that little canal. This was in an era when "Progressive" meant forward thinking rather than the socialist-left wing concept of today. He mediated war between Russia and Japan, bringing the office of the Presidency into international affairs.



3. Edmund Morris's second book in a projected three volume set about Theodore Roosevelt is an excellent tome, meticulously researched and extremely well-written. The years are pivotal in American history, from 1901 through 1909 as America becomes more involved in world affairs. Roosevelt was a larger than life character in his interests and ambitions. Morris makes superb use of TR's papers and other documents to render an accurate portrait of one of America's most beloved and energetic presidents. He makes ample use of the archives of Roosevelts observes like John Hay, William Howard Taft and others. Roosevelt was the youngest president and the books bursts with his mesmerizing accomplishments such as Western conservation, author, monopoly busting, Republican advances in race and labor as well as his quiet sponsorship of a revolution in Colombian province called Panama - where he later built that little canal. This was in an era when "Progressive" meant forward thinking rather than the socialist-left wing concept of today. He mediated war between Russia and Japan, bringing the office of the Presidency into international affairs.



4. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it difficult to put down and on the rare occasions I did, I could not wait to pick it up again. Morris managed to bring back to life a pivotal period in the history of the United States through the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. While reading, I always felt as though I was standing by T.R.'s side simply watching the events unfold. Morris' storytelling style made for easy reading.
   
   I felt the highlights were in his handling of the Anthracite Coal Strike, the Northern Securities scandal, and the origins of the "Teddy" Bear, among others. However, the opening sequence detailing his journey to Buffalo, NY following the assassination of McKinley provides a fantastic jumping off point for the fast-paced presidency he was about to take on.
   
   Reading a book like this really makes a person long for the honest, hard-working political figures of the past. It makes modern-day politics look even more corrupt by comparison.
   
   Bottom line: do yourself a favor and read this book.



5. This is the second in a projected three volume biography of Theodore Roosevelt, and is just a delight to read. I felt while reading the book that I was inhabiting the White House in the first years of the 20th century.
   
   I agree with several reviewers here who said that the first volume, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)was superior, but again, that was terrific, and it is not always easy to follow great success. (Ask William Taft, TR's successor)
   
   And sometimes the journey beats the destination. In the first book Roosevelt leads several different lives, and fulfills different roles as son, author, state legislator, husband, father, widower, hunter, NYC Police Commissoner, NY Governor, and then Vice President. It was hard not to feel cooped up in the White House after the rich, varied life he had led before. It is no wonder he didn't pursue a third term in 1908, despite every indication he would have won.
   
   This second volume does not address TR's private life as thoroughly as did the first. Morris may have felt he had already covered it in the first book, or more likely, that doing them justice would have required another book. TR's second wife, Edith, was his first love. They were school age sweethearts, broke up, after which TR abruptly married a younger woman, who bore him a daughter before dying in a flu epidemic. TR subsequently married Edith. Methinks there is a story there, but it is not dealt with in this book.
   
   Instead Morris focuses almost entirely on TR's public life and policies, which is certainly an understandable decision. The battles with the corporations on creating anti-trust legislation, mediating to bring a cease-fire in the Russo Japanese War and setting aside thousands of acres for national parks are all dealt with in detail here.
   
   The great thing about TR was that in addition to his raw energy, he was also a first rate intellect. He is a biographer's dream and Morris has done a terrific job with these two volumes. While he clearly admires his subject, he also shows him warts and all, when his use of the bully pulpit sometimes turned into bullying behavior.
   
   I highly recommend both this book and its predecessor.

3 comments about The Book of Mychal: The Surprising Life and Heroic Death of Father Mychal Judge.

1. This book brought tears to my eyes. We know that Mychal Judge's life was tragically ended on September 11, 2001 but this book told his life's story in a very real and touching way. The lessons of Mychal Judge's life will stay with you for a lifetime.



2. That's what this book clearly is - a labor of love, a probing biography by a Daily News columnist. The author delves deeply into Judge's Irish upbringing, the Catholic church, the Fire Dept, and New York City politics. A Pulitzer-worthy book.



3. Daly, Michael. "The Book of Mychal: The Surprising Life and Heroic Death of Father Mychal Judge", Thomas Dunne Books, 2008.
   
   A National Hero
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   Father Mychal Judge became a hero after his death. He died while he was helping victims at the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He was the chaplain for the New York City Fire Department and he soon became the supreme symbol of those who put their lives at risk so they could help others and he paid the highest price. He was loved by his fireman and was always ready to listen to anyone who needed to talk. He not only was minister to firemen but to gay New Yorkers as well even though many of his firemen had no idea that he was gay and did not learn that until he was dead. Father Judge had problems with reconciling his private life with his public life and this was discovered in a journal he began keeping in 1999. We read that he yearned to speak out but he felt that coming out would cost him his ministry, his friends and his standing in the Catholic Church.
   Michael Daly, who was Judge's friend and who wrote this book, had access to the journals and gives us the thoughts of Judge.
   Judge's life was gripping from being a youth in Depression Brooklyn to his Catholic upbringing. The last section of the book hits hard as it deals with September 11 and the days following. I love the way we get to see Father Judge as he tries to balance his work with the fire department and his life as a gay man especially during the 1990's when New York City was engaged in a war between the church and the gay community. Daly gives us a peek into Judge's private life as well and with great sensitivity. We read of his involvement with the AIDS crisis, when he bucked his church's official policy on homosexuality. We also learn of the priest's ten year love affair with a much younger man but Daly says that it was never consummated because of the Church.
   What makes the book so special is reading about Judge's inner thoughts and turmoils as well as the love his fireman felt for him. He was quite a man and Michael Daly has done both the man and his memory justice.

5 comments about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

1. In what began as a letter to his son in 1771, Franklin decided to share the "anecdotes of [his] ancestors" and impart some of his own wisdom learned during his life. But the crisis between America and Great Britain would soon put a halt to his autobiographical work. It would be more than a decade later, at the pleadings of his friends, that Franklin would again take up his pen and complete his memoir.
   
   The first section, the letter to his son, is the best part of the book. Here, the plot drives the story with some divergences into his philosophy. He describes his modest childhood in Boston and his gradual ascent to civic leader in Philadelphia. He shares his many disappointments (friends who had deceived him) and his many accomplishments (establishing a secret philosophical club, a successful printing press, a public library, and the list goes on and on).
   
   In the next half of the book, taken up at the requests of his friends, he delves deeper into his personal philosophy and describes his system to work on the 13 virtues he needed to perfect to arrive at "moral perfection." He notes the impossibility of this project but believes the pursuit in itself made him a better person. He also gives more details on his public works and his role in Pennsylvania's government. Despite divulging his thoughts on religion and ethics, Franklin seems more distant than in the first section, and I didn't get a good grasp on his life in his later years.
   
   But what's most remarkable about Franklin's autobiography is his unpretentious writing style. He strikes a conversational tone, coasting through one anecdote to the next, or what he sardonically describes as "rambling digressions." Only toward the end does this charming tone flags a bit.
   
   I strongly recommend this autobiography to people who've a strong interest in the Founding Fathers. People with a passing interest should try reading at least some background information on Franklin, because you won't get the full portrait of the man here. You learn little about his family or inventions, and the autobiography stops (quite suddenly) when he's in England for a dispute between the Pennsylvania Assembly and governor. Overall, though, the readability of the book for its time is astounding.



2. No matter which of the Founding Fathers was your favorite, Benjamin Franklin will be after this read! An absolute master at all he attempted: politics, engineering, community improvement, and of course, the ladies! It will leave you wondering where are the heroes and patriots like BF today? And when will they wake up?



3. I have to say this is the most inspirational book I have ever read in my 51 years. Franklin's efforts to improve himself through his 13-week plan is a brilliant blueprint for success. Just the way he thinks. It is like being in the company of a great man...the greatness rubs off a little. This book has a permanent place on my bookshelf.



4. Franklin's life, works and thoughts have always been an inspiration to me. This time around I decided to wade through his autobiography to drink from the source itself. Upon flipping a few pages, I was sorely disappointed of the extremely tedious language. I found I was caught up more in re-reading a lot of sentences trying to comprehend the great man's words correctly and hence losing out on the joy to mull over his visions. For me, "Benjamin Franklin's the Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living" is a more streamlined book and I am happy with the joy I derive from the inspiration this book evokes.



5. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography is an excellent look into the mind of a very important figure in American History. This book is important both for the autobiography literary genre and for its historical context. It is infinately useful for historians, especially those looking at the early life of this highly public-spirited man.
   
   There are also plenty of life lessons sprinkled throughout much of Franklin's writing, and his autobiography is no exception. Therefore it reads both as history, and a how-to manual.
   
   The only shortcoming of this book is that there is not more of it. It ends before the revolution and his employment as an ambassador abroad, so we don't have the same material for the more important and tumultuous period of his life.
   
   This book should be recommended for anyone interested in getting a closer look into the time period. If you want to learn more about Franklin's personality and motives there is no better person to tell you than the man himself.

5 comments about Sitting Bull.

1. Was not impressed. Seemed to be repeating what every other writer said about Sitting Bull.



2. quite a comprehensive review of the history of the Lakota tribe and the input of sitting bull. I would have preferred a history by one of the first people instead.



3. Tatanka Iyotake - Sitting Bull - was not the killer of Custer. He was certainly no villain. He was a spiritual leader of our People. According to my ancestors, who handed this story down to my generation, Custer killed himself rather than take what he had coming - and had fully earned - at the Battle of the Greasy Grass / what the majority culture calls "the Little Bighorn". I'm a great-grandmother now, writing through my man's account, and I have no reason to doubt the truth of the story my ancestors told.
   We kept it among ourselves because of the repercussions we suffered back then, and still suffer today. To this day, we Lakota out here in "Dakota" Territory are harrassed in every way, all too often. Not as openly as used to be, but it's still there - the coffee-shop talk, the disparaging stereotypes, stuff like that. I call it, "the Custer effect". My People beat the crap out of Custer and his goons that June day so long ago, and whites have been crying about it ever since, and trying to "prove what really happened".
   Custer was no hero; he was a murderer of babies and women, unarmed warriors and the elderly. Sitting Bull was a man of great pride and honor and strength. This book is worth reading more than once. Thanks for writing it!



4. SITTING BULL
   Bill Yenne
   
   Sitting Bull by Bill Yenne is an interesting read. Yenne utilizes Stanley Vestal, Jerome Stillson of the New York Herald, Sitting Bull's Hieroglyphic Autobiography, and an assortment of first hand accounts to present this historic American Indian. For all of us "Custer People", there is a chapter on the Little Bighorn Battle in which Yenne writes "Custer probably feared that if he delayed his attack for another twenty-four hours - as he planned - then Gibbon would be a day closer and Custer would have to share this victory with him". There is an argument which establishes a good book. The book is filled with informative and controversial quotes. Yenne frequently dwells on Washington's government officials arguing over the necessary actions to solve their Indian dilemma. Politicians and red tape do not make a good western adventure, unfortunately that was their role in the history of the American West. I want to be with Custer out on the plains or in an Indian camp, not in an office in Washington.
   Overall, the book was very good. Even the cover with Sitting Bull's picture and autograph is notable.



5. Just finished reading "Sitting Bull." Enjoyed it very, very much. There are wonderful photos and maps, one including good old Highmore, SD. The book is a dramatic and scholarly accomplishment. Professor Yellowtail's glowing endorsement must feel like a crowning feather. Has he given the author an Indian name?!
   I was surprised to learn that Sitting Bull was only with Bill Cody's Wild West in 1885 and never went to Europe, never performed for Queen Victoria. As the book points out, it was his deaf stepson, later known as John Sitting Bull, who toured Europe with Cody's Wild West during a few years after the turn of the century. Indeed, the popular confusion about this persists and resurfaced the other day at lunch with our tennis players. How nice to have it right!

5 comments about My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams.

1. I am very pleased with the quality of this book. I watched the John Adams series on HBO and this makes a nice companion piece to that miniseries.



2. A collection of authentic letters between a man and his wife documenting the actual events as they occur from their first meeting, the beginning of the revolutionary war, the first meeting of Congress to negotiaing a system of government through freedom of our liberties through the written and signed Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. Although early years were spent much apart, this extraordinary couple persevered a deep love, an emotional partnership and friendship while enduring personal tragedies of early Colonial life in the 1700's. These letters are Historical Documents. This was the life of Abigail and John Adams. A story that aided this reader in understanding a period of History so unassuming, so important in acknowledging the birth of our nation.



3. A beautiful book as I was sure it would be. Now in the possession of another John Adams admirer who happens to be a resident of Cornwall, England.



4. I must shamefully admit that prior to the renewed interest in John Adams with the recent miniseries, I really had only a general knowledge of his role and importance in the founding of our country. This book gives a private, personal and wonderful view of the strength,deep,abiding love of this first family. I could not put it down & would highly recommend it to anyone.



5. If you are a history buff or just a little interested in the history of our nation you will love this book. The letters exchanged between John and Abigail Adams are wonderful. Abigail was definitely John's rock. She kept him focused and steady. John was a very passionate man in his beliefs and at times would become a tyrant trying to convince people that his way of thnking was the only way to think. Thank goodness he had Abigail as he ran everything by her to see how she thought the people would react to his perception. Abigail would let him know when he needed to press an issue or just be quiet and let it happen on its own. Besides being lovers as husband and wife they were truly best friends. An inspirational read.

No comments about Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

5 comments about Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America.

1. James K Polk was barely a generation removed from our Founding Fathers when it is taken into account that he was mentored by Andrew Jackson and had John Quincy Adams in the House of Representatives during his Presidency.
   
   When one considers that Abraham Lincoln also served in the House during his Presidency, and Ulysses S. Grant served in his army, the shadow that Polk cast over 19th century politics becomes huge.
   
   Conventional wisdom has been that between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln, there was a tremendous vacuum of Presidential leadership. This book moves a long way toward debunking this notion. In fact, James Polk is arguably the greatest one-term President this country has seen.
   
   Rarely has a President moved into this position with such a clear and well defined set of objectives and stayed so focused on carrying them out.
   
   Polk's continuation of Manifest Destiny, and his no holds barred tactics of achieving land expansion puts him in a pantheon and league with the few Presidents who have achieved greatness in their tenures. When we now look at our map, it has Polk's clear stamp on it.
   
   This book must have been difficult for the author to write, in that there was little written about Polk, in light of the Civil War, and his story has been lost to obscurity. In that he has been deceased for 160 years, there are few sources to get an accurate gauge of his personality, or his actions, other than what is recorded.
   
   Still, this book brings him to life, and paints a clear picture of the political times.
   
   For the afficionado of the Presidency, and its inhabitants, it is a must read story.



2. This book was well-written and easy to read. The subject was engrossing, so it was hard to put down. He did this all without demonstrating political prejudice, too. I will read it again.



3. As the book's subtitle suggests, this is an account of a President who had an enormous impact on the contiguous 48 states. He was a brilliant visionary and leader. The author has done an excellent job of research and tied it all together into an enjoyable, fascinating account of a critical period in US history.



4. James K. Polk always shows up on the best Presidents' list along with the obvious Washingtons, Jeffersons, Lincolns, etc. Mr. Borneman delineates why this is the case, in a clear, concise writing style, and illuminates both Polk's personal and political life. This book is a must-read, not only for would-be historians, but also for people like me, who had never had a complete understanding about this important period in American history.



5. While I would recommend "Polk" to all fans of the period I would caution that it seems to lack a little in the life of the man. While I doubt that this is the fault of the biographer since outside of his presidential diary - Polk did not leave a large written record. Borneman deicated less than 20 pages to Polk's early life, and hardly mentions his times growing up in Pineville, N.C. - my question is this because there is little known or was it left out to help the book flow?
   
   Having mentioned this fault, I do find the book to be both readable and entertaining. In fact, Broneman has written one of the best political accounts of the turmaoil that lasted between the end of Jackson's term and the end of Polk's.
   
   My final tally - if you are looking for a biography that is an equal of "John Adams" you may be disappoined, but if you are looking for an interesting overview of the 1830's and 1840's.. you probably have found the very best possible book!
   
   Score "B+"

No comments about Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World.

3 comments about The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great American Family.

1. After reading other Lincoln biographies I thought there was very little family information to be gleaned from another one but I was wrong. This held my attention from the first page to the last; even the events that are well known were written in an interesting manner. New approach to the last day of Lincoln's life, the home surroundings and observed interaction between the family members, the understanding of variables of the period such as political climate, health habits and knowledge, living conditions, etc. Not dry at all, really comes to life.



2. and readable biography of Abraham Lincoln's widow, children, grandchildren, and, lastly, great-grandchildren, in the years following Lincoln's murder in 1865. Robert Todd Lincoln, the surviving son of four, is really the main character in this book, from his easy relationship with his father to his rather tortured on with his mother.
   The children and grandchildren are Robert Todd Lincoln's and none came to particularly happy endings after particularly unhappy and unfulfilled lives.
   
   I can't stress enough how readable this book is - no, I'm NOT being paid!. It's either very well written or very well edited, probably both, actually!
   It's very rare to sit down and just enjoy a piece of non-fiction as I did with this book.



3. Charles Lachman has done an incredibly thorough job of researching and writing a page turner on the Lincoln legacy. The book is dynamic, well-organized and truly entertaining. Historians and non-historians alike will enjoy the breakthrough journalism and compelling narrative.
   I highly recommend this book. It would also be great for book clubs.
   I could not put it down!