What do you think?
Rate this book
Theodore the Great
Theodore Roosevelt has a complicated legacy. To some, he was the quintessential American patriot and hero, a valiant soldier who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Others remember him as a cultural icon, the man who brandished a "big Stick," proclaimed the "Square Deal," led a "Strenuous Life," and inspired the "Teddy Bear." He was a farsighted conservationist who essentially founded the modern environmental movement. He was also a legendary hunter. Mark Twain once called him "insane."
So who was the real Teddy Roosevelt?
Daniel Ruddy’s new biography cuts through the impenetrable tangle of misconceptions and contradictions that have grown up over the last century and obscured our view of a man who remains perhaps the most controversial president in U.S. history. Avoiding the sins of hero worship and character assassination, Ruddy gives the public what is long overdue—a fair-minded and even-handed assessment of a misunderstood American icon.
So who was the real Teddy Roosevelt?
Daniel Ruddy’s new biography cuts through the impenetrable tangle of misconceptions and contradictions that have grown up over the last century and obscured our view of a man who remains perhaps the most controversial president in U.S. history. Avoiding the sins of hero worship and character assassination, Ruddy gives the public what is long overdue—a fair-minded and even-handed assessment of a misunderstood American icon.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2016
8 people are currently reading
361 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Ruddy
2 books12 followersDaniel Ruddy holds a master's degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics. His first book, "Theodore Roosevelt's History of the United States," is the definitive account of TR's bold and candid opinions of America's past. His latest book, "Theodore the Great: Conservative Crusader," is published by Regnery and will be released on August 29th, 2016.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 4, 2017
Written in the style of a college sophomore, eager to impress his professor with myriad esoteric anecdotes, I could barely get through the first 100 pages without giving myself a concussion from all the eye rolling I was doing. It was an intriguing premise--reclaiming the conservative legacy of "TR"-- but a terribly disappointing failure of execution. It would've been great if it started by developing a working definition of the sort of conservatism the author, and TR, believed in. Instead, it just reads like a series of rants made on a Saturday afternoon panel on FOX News.
October 26, 2016
This book is an extremely detailed account of the many accomplishments of Theodore Roosevelt's domestic and foreign policies, and how the legacy of TR isn't one of a Far Left Progressive, instead it is one of a Conservative Reformer, who's domestic and foreign policies of populist-nationalist leanings helped launch the United States into the 20th century as a world power.
In this book, author Daniel Ruddy revises many of the misnomers regarding Roosevelt's record, three great examples include:
Roosevelt's economic policies which stressed fiscal restraints and keeping a balanced budget.
His anti-trust record, which many historians have inflated overtime. In actuality, his administration had only 44 prosecutions for those who violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, with his successors Taft and Wilson having much higher counts (88 and 86) However, the important piece is that while Roosevelt's record on trusts is smaller than many believe, he revitalized the laws on the books and helped bring them back to the forefront of his anti-corruption campaigns.
His administration's Conservation record, while in many respects ahead of it's time, was not just for protecting the natural beauty of the nation, but also to aid in it's development. The administration's crucial and somewhat forgotten role in creating dams and other irrigation projects to help bring water to the dry west is a testament to the ingenuity of Roosevelt's mind.
I highly recommend this book for anyone researching Teddy, or seek the truth regarding his record.
In this book, author Daniel Ruddy revises many of the misnomers regarding Roosevelt's record, three great examples include:
Roosevelt's economic policies which stressed fiscal restraints and keeping a balanced budget.
His anti-trust record, which many historians have inflated overtime. In actuality, his administration had only 44 prosecutions for those who violated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, with his successors Taft and Wilson having much higher counts (88 and 86) However, the important piece is that while Roosevelt's record on trusts is smaller than many believe, he revitalized the laws on the books and helped bring them back to the forefront of his anti-corruption campaigns.
His administration's Conservation record, while in many respects ahead of it's time, was not just for protecting the natural beauty of the nation, but also to aid in it's development. The administration's crucial and somewhat forgotten role in creating dams and other irrigation projects to help bring water to the dry west is a testament to the ingenuity of Roosevelt's mind.
I highly recommend this book for anyone researching Teddy, or seek the truth regarding his record.
September 17, 2016
Ever since I learned that Teddy and FDR were supporters of opposite political parties, I have wanted to know about Teddy Roosevelt and what he stood for. It has been my experience as a twenty-something that in school, and other academic settings, that FDR has been the Roosevelt to get all the positive representation while TR has faded to the background. After reading this book, I believe that fact to be a travesty. Theodore Roosevelt was a man with a heart devoted to the American people. He was by no means a perfect president, but one of the most genuine and overall successful. I found him to be a profoundly moving president and wish there were more leaders like him in the present day. Daniel Ruddy does an excellent job of analyzing TR's presidency and putting it in historical perspective. After reading this book, I think TR would have to be my favorite president. This book is a must-read for any conservative. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in presidential history.
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Ruddy made a consistent, compelling case for TR as a conservative champion while also being honest about his fault. What I liked most was Ruddy's reminding of his readers about the context in which TR made the decisions he made. Interestingly, when scoring TR's achievements, he was actually critical of what many regard as his successes - such as the Panama Canal. My main critique of the book is its lack of depth - it's briefer than most biographies - but that is appealing for those who are not looking to read 1000 pages, but want an honest take at one of America's most renowned presidents. There are a ton of works out there about TR, and I encourage folks to give this one a chance, particularly those who come from a conservative persuasion, as I do.
January 2, 2017
I have read numerous books on TR. While this one had some interesting points, I consider it the worst book I have read on this subject. The author tries to support his apparent current views by making ridicious points on what TR's views would be on current issues. One of the greatest strengths of TR was that he involved over time. In most cases, his views became more progressive, especially on views that had become majority opinion. Trying to use a person's opinion over one hundred years ago to support your own current opinion strikes me as weak defense of that opinion.
June 1, 2017
A magnificent book about a misunderstood POTUS and his philosophy and tenure in office. His Progressiveness should been followed not Wilson's.
April 19, 2022
I was hoping that this would be a real examination of Teddy's life and presidency with a critical eye. I'm a fan of the man, as many are, but I think we can recognize that there is also plenty of room for criticism. This book promised to cut through the rose-tinted glasses and deal with him as he was, but it actually reads as a piece about how Teddy would agree with the author on modern day political topics. There were hints of real analysis and interesting history, but not enough to be taken seriously.
If you're interested in his family life, I would recommend "The Lion's Pride". If you're interested in his life with respect to the outdoors and conservation efforts, I would recommend "The Naturalist". If you're interested in his Presidency, I would recommend "Theodore Rex". If you're interested in his thirst for conflict and the legacy that left behind, I would recommend "The True Flag".
If you're interested in his family life, I would recommend "The Lion's Pride". If you're interested in his life with respect to the outdoors and conservation efforts, I would recommend "The Naturalist". If you're interested in his Presidency, I would recommend "Theodore Rex". If you're interested in his thirst for conflict and the legacy that left behind, I would recommend "The True Flag".
February 3, 2023
Theodore Roosevelt is my favorite president, and I've read dozens of books about him over the years. This is a fact that I'm sure would piss off Daniel Ruddy, who made it clear in his book that he doesn't like "liberals" co-opting TR because TR was a conservative, dammit, not a progressive liberal.
I had no illusions how the book was going to be skewed. The book's publisher regularly prints both conservative and conspiracy non-fiction, and the Ruddy family is well associated with extreme right-wing ideology. That's fine. I was curious to read a TR book from that point of view.
I learned some things in the book (if I hadn't, this would have been a 1 star book), and Ruddy has done his research. But I chuckled or groaned through a lot of this book because he tried so hard to turn TR into a modern day conservative, twisting truths into something to fit his agenda. And he clearly believed that whatever TR did or believed should be the norm today, and that's just foolish.
Yes, TR was a social conservative but he was also a very complicated man. He was very much a man of the Victorian era who, in general, had no use for women unless they were related to him. His sister was probably his greatest advisor, something that is never mentioned in this book. (There are a lot of other things that were ignored in the book because it would have contradicted the ultra-conservative narrative.) TR was a narcissist, who is the one president who could compete with Trump in that area. TR was no warmonger, Ruddy wrote, glossing over how TR did just that for a war against Spain so he could fight in it and relieve himself of the guilt he carried from his father buying a solider to fight in the Civil War. He also glossed over TR's push for the US to enter the Great War. No, TR didn't start any conflicts while he was president because he couldn't fight in them. It's really as simple as that.
However, TR was a brilliant politician, absolutely brilliant, and that's what made him a great president. Ruddy punches the TR wasn't liberal line a lot, but Ruddy conflates modern ideology with the ideology of 200 years ago. Progressive is a different thing today than it was then, just like Democrats and Republicans have shifted considerably over the decades. TR absolutely was progressive in his foresight of where the country could go and he had the power to take it there. (Again, what Ruddy never actually mentions directly is that TR shifted the power of the executive branch and that's had a direct impact on today's politics.) TR was an intellectual elite -- he wrote a history of the naval battles of the War of 1812. He wrote biographies and histories of the west between his stints in government offices. He read voraciously. He had a remarkable memory and recall. He valued education and learning, things that get you shoved out of the conservative arena today. He grew up rich and privileged but he was in tune with poverty because his father took him into that world every Sunday. TR recognized the importance of America's role on the global stage, probably because he was the first president to have made multiple, years-long trips to other parts of the world. His conflict was with internal one of a progressive move forward with his very strict old-fashioned conservative social mores.
MAGA was in its infancy when this book was written, so I had to keep reminding myself that that might not be where Ruddy was going with this book (or maybe he was, and he was trying to make TR a major figure in the MAGA populist movement). TR's children became hardline conversatives back in the day of the original America First movement, Archie in particular, but also Ted and Alice (his son Kermit was the only one that remained friendly with Franklin and Eleanor). Would that have been the path TR took? That's the question I wish Ruddy would have explored, honestly, and not making this a trope about his annoyance that liberals not only like TR but have the nerve to point out his progressive agenda with admiration and appreciation.
I had no illusions how the book was going to be skewed. The book's publisher regularly prints both conservative and conspiracy non-fiction, and the Ruddy family is well associated with extreme right-wing ideology. That's fine. I was curious to read a TR book from that point of view.
I learned some things in the book (if I hadn't, this would have been a 1 star book), and Ruddy has done his research. But I chuckled or groaned through a lot of this book because he tried so hard to turn TR into a modern day conservative, twisting truths into something to fit his agenda. And he clearly believed that whatever TR did or believed should be the norm today, and that's just foolish.
Yes, TR was a social conservative but he was also a very complicated man. He was very much a man of the Victorian era who, in general, had no use for women unless they were related to him. His sister was probably his greatest advisor, something that is never mentioned in this book. (There are a lot of other things that were ignored in the book because it would have contradicted the ultra-conservative narrative.) TR was a narcissist, who is the one president who could compete with Trump in that area. TR was no warmonger, Ruddy wrote, glossing over how TR did just that for a war against Spain so he could fight in it and relieve himself of the guilt he carried from his father buying a solider to fight in the Civil War. He also glossed over TR's push for the US to enter the Great War. No, TR didn't start any conflicts while he was president because he couldn't fight in them. It's really as simple as that.
However, TR was a brilliant politician, absolutely brilliant, and that's what made him a great president. Ruddy punches the TR wasn't liberal line a lot, but Ruddy conflates modern ideology with the ideology of 200 years ago. Progressive is a different thing today than it was then, just like Democrats and Republicans have shifted considerably over the decades. TR absolutely was progressive in his foresight of where the country could go and he had the power to take it there. (Again, what Ruddy never actually mentions directly is that TR shifted the power of the executive branch and that's had a direct impact on today's politics.) TR was an intellectual elite -- he wrote a history of the naval battles of the War of 1812. He wrote biographies and histories of the west between his stints in government offices. He read voraciously. He had a remarkable memory and recall. He valued education and learning, things that get you shoved out of the conservative arena today. He grew up rich and privileged but he was in tune with poverty because his father took him into that world every Sunday. TR recognized the importance of America's role on the global stage, probably because he was the first president to have made multiple, years-long trips to other parts of the world. His conflict was with internal one of a progressive move forward with his very strict old-fashioned conservative social mores.
MAGA was in its infancy when this book was written, so I had to keep reminding myself that that might not be where Ruddy was going with this book (or maybe he was, and he was trying to make TR a major figure in the MAGA populist movement). TR's children became hardline conversatives back in the day of the original America First movement, Archie in particular, but also Ted and Alice (his son Kermit was the only one that remained friendly with Franklin and Eleanor). Would that have been the path TR took? That's the question I wish Ruddy would have explored, honestly, and not making this a trope about his annoyance that liberals not only like TR but have the nerve to point out his progressive agenda with admiration and appreciation.
February 3, 2020
It was a decent read. It details TR’s successes and failures and makes an effort to characterize him as a conservative champion which I found to be an incredible stretch. While he was not a progressive by the standards of the word today, he was certainly not a conservative either. TR was a reformer and wanted to move the needle on some issues that were not partisan in nature. While I think the American Left now lionizes TR, the book did give some good insights on why he likely wouldn’t be a card carrying Democrat today but it’s hard to say he would be a staunch Republican in today’s party.
October 7, 2016
A small biography on what what makes TR one the greatest presidents ever. Show the good bad and ugly american side of 'Teddy'.
Fairish I would say but having said that the author seems very defensive of some of the ugly american side.
Still a quick read and something to think about. Especially with this election heading towards the abyss.
Fairish I would say but having said that the author seems very defensive of some of the ugly american side.
Still a quick read and something to think about. Especially with this election heading towards the abyss.
August 22, 2019
I thought the author tried too hard to paint TR as a conservative, although he had his moments. TR seemed more like a populist, a term in disrepute these days. Nice easy read though and the author does criticize Roosevelt sometimes.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews