The Making of Theodore Roosevelt

by Robert Louis DeMayo

This a fictionalized account of a true story - the tale of how two rough Maine woodsmen took a young Theodore Roosevelt under their wing in 1878 and introduced him to the beautiful but unforgiving woodlands of the Northeast. Under their guidance, the frail but strong-willed New Yorker becomes a worthy outdoorsman, an experience which significantly shaped the world view of the man poised to become the 26th President of the United States thirteen years later. Historical Fiction.

286 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2011

About the author

Robert Louis DeMayo is a native of Hollis, New Hampshire, U.S.A., but has lived in many corners of the planet. He traveled to nearly a hundred countries before he was thirty, crossing many of them overland. He began writing at the age of twenty when he left his job as a biomedical engineer to explore the world. His extensive journaling during his travels inspired five of his novels and far-reaching work for the travel section of The Telegraph, out of Nashua, New Hampshire, as well as the Hollis Times. He is a member of The Explorers Club and chair of its Southwest Chapter.

His undying hunger for exploration led to a job marketing for Eos Study Tours, a company that serves as a travel office for non-profit organizations and offers dives to the Titanic and the Bismarck, Antarctic voyages, African safaris and archaeological tours throughout the world. For several years following that role, Robert worked as a tour guide in Alaska and the Yukon during the summer and as a jeep guide in Arizona during the winter. He was made general manager of the jeep tour company but eventually left the guiding world to write full-time.

Robert is the author of eight novels that have collectively won ten national awards. His printed books and eBooks are available on Amazon, KDP and Ingram. In addition, several of his stories are available as audiobooks on ACX.

He resides in Sedona, Arizona, with his wife Diana and three daughters: Tavish Lee, Saydrin Scout, and Martika Louise.

Reviews

[mkfs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have paid more attention when I picked this up at at the bookstore. "A book that can be enjoyed by all ages" generally means it was written for children.

And it was. In many parts this reads like Theodore Roosevelt fanfic. You know the type: Theodore and the Maine woodsman stride forth, lantern-jawed, while their city-bred cousins cower and succumb to bug bites. Every word that Roosevelt says is well-considered, an adage for the history books. The hackles of my cynicism rose on every page.

After about a hundred pages or so, though, I stopped fighting it and started to enjoy the book for what it was: the tale of a wilderness trek through a long-gone Northeast. In that regard, it works well.

I would love to see an adult version of this tale, perhaps with enough detail to double as a woodsman-howto. Something like Herzog's Happy People: A Year in the Taiga.

[KathKall · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Making of Theodore Roosevelt takes a refreshing and insightful look at the early adventures of T.R. Set in 1878 in the northern woods of Maine, DeMayo, skillfully takes readers on a series of journeys enabling them to witness the transformation of the well known historical figure.

Educational and entertaining. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys the outdoors and the ways of the past.

[Emily (Heinlen) Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It made Teddy Roosevelt less of a historical figure and more of a real person for me. I know that it is a fictionalized account of a time in his life, but, sometimes, that is necessary to move past the facts and figures to find the real person underneath.

[Louise Carlson Stowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for great Goodreads give away. It was a great read that engaged me from the second I began reading it. Teddy was very well described. The scenery and dialogue everything was done in such a way that you felt like a fellow traveller and adventurer from the second you read the first page where the three men, on of which was Teddy Roosevelt are setted in the train.

Kudos to Robert Louis DeMayo. Thoroughly enjoyable read!

[saràh c. farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring

This book is a very believable account of what might have been. The inclusion of TRs signature quotes gives a foreshadow of the future man.

[Gayle Pace · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW:

THE MAKING OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT is an account of the early journeys of Teddy Roosevelt. The setting is in the northern woods of Maine in 1878. Mr. DeMayo has presented a vivid outlook on the hardships that the wilds of Maine can present. The author takes you along on the journeys as you see the change of the well known historic figure. Mr. DeMayo shows you a side of Theodore Roosevelt that isn't usually written about. The young Roosevelt and his adventures to the Maine wilds. Here is where he learned about the woods. The book is well written. Even though it is a historical fiction read, there is a lot to be learned as the book is not only interesting but educational. I feel the book will be of interest to the young and the young at heart. It is truly a book that I want to keep on my shelf and re-read. The author brings the past to us as we journey with Teddy on his adventures. I liked that the book was not too fast paced. It allowed you to take it all in and picture everything in your mind.. This book may be a fictional account but it seems so real in every aspect. Wonderful writing to be able to take fiction and make it seem real. One great historical, interesting and educational read.

I would give this book 5 STARS.

I was given a complimentary copy of THE MAKING OF THEODORE ROOSEVELT from the author, Robert Louis DeMayo for my honest view.

The cover deserves a 5 STARS too.

[Ronda Wian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A top take !

Teddy Roosevelt outdoorsman soldier and statesman . The start of determination. That made him. Enjoyed 100% . A great choice.