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Leaders in Action
Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt
A Giant Among Leaders Theodore Roosevelt stands out as one of the most exceptional leaders in American history. He was a devoted husband and father, a politician, a soldier, a war journalist, an editor, a cattle rancher, a scientist, a writer, an athlete, a hunter, and a diplomat. While the list of his exploits seems imposing, it was his passionate commitment to what he believed was right and good and true that was dynamically compelling—even to those who opposed him. Theodore Roosevelt was a hero. In this thought-provoking look at his leadership in action, we see why he not only earned the respect and admiration of his contemporaries, but why, even today, he continues to capture out imagination. "For me Theodore Roosevelt has always been a caricature, a political cartoon with a stick and coke-bottom glasses, riding up San Juan hill. Now, through this wonderful retelling of his life, this larger-than-life image has become a real, living and breathing person—still large, to be sure, and most definitely now alive." —Michael Card, best-selling recording artist, songwriter, and author
203 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1996
52 people are currently reading
593 people want to read
About the author
George Grant
192 books209 followersDr. George Grant is an evangelical educator recognized by a Tennessee newspaper “Review Appeal” as the one who “lives and breathes” education.
Grant is known as a reformed scholar and evangelical activist who hopes to promote sound Christian doctrine, seeking honest answers to honest questions, developing true spirituality and experiencing the beauty of human relationships.
He founded Franklin Classical School, located in Franklin, Tennessee and the King’s Meadow Study Center, which seeks to help the modern church to develop a practical cultural expression of a Christian worldview in art, music, literature, politics, social research, community development and education.
Grant has also produced numerous writings of more than 60 works on the topics relating to theology, school curriculum, arts, fiction and politics.
Grant is known as a reformed scholar and evangelical activist who hopes to promote sound Christian doctrine, seeking honest answers to honest questions, developing true spirituality and experiencing the beauty of human relationships.
He founded Franklin Classical School, located in Franklin, Tennessee and the King’s Meadow Study Center, which seeks to help the modern church to develop a practical cultural expression of a Christian worldview in art, music, literature, politics, social research, community development and education.
Grant has also produced numerous writings of more than 60 works on the topics relating to theology, school curriculum, arts, fiction and politics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
April 21, 2009
If this book doesn't inspire you to do more with your day, week, life, etc....I doubt anything else will.
March 29, 2021
AmblesideOnline year 5 book. All of my kids have struggled with these Leaders in Action books and I’m not sure why. I have taken to reading them aloud because they are so worthwhile!
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
May 7, 2012
Modern Americans may wonder why Theodore Roosevelt is one of the quartet of Presidents immortalized on Mount Rushmore. Carry a Big Stick: The Uncommon Heroism of Theodore Roosevelt partly answers that question.
Roosevelt is largely unknown to current Americans despite his popularity and success over a hundred years ago. He was an rich, Eastern Christian, but he mixed with and spoke to the hopes and aspirations of most citizens. He wrote dozens of scholarly as well as political books, without a ghost writer. His speeches, which he wrote without help, filled seven volumes. He was a faithful husband and devoted father. He was a reformer and yet clung to the roots of the Republic. He was a cowboy (of sorts), conservationist, explorer and military hero. Our only President awarded the Medal of Honor (which was political) and the Nobel Peace Prize (which he earned). He was perhaps the last American President to combine personal integrity and national vision with the ability to connect with Americans of all races, creeds and walks of life.
That said, this book is oddly organized, assumedly to meet the dictates of its series. It feels dashed off from three or four primary sources. It doesn't quite work as either a biography or a paean, but whets the reader's appetite for both Roosevelt's writings and more complete biographies.
He was certainly a brother with Washington and Lincoln. (Jefferson's kinship to the others is more problematic.) That the White House has not been occupied by their equal in the last hundred years is our loss.
Roosevelt is largely unknown to current Americans despite his popularity and success over a hundred years ago. He was an rich, Eastern Christian, but he mixed with and spoke to the hopes and aspirations of most citizens. He wrote dozens of scholarly as well as political books, without a ghost writer. His speeches, which he wrote without help, filled seven volumes. He was a faithful husband and devoted father. He was a reformer and yet clung to the roots of the Republic. He was a cowboy (of sorts), conservationist, explorer and military hero. Our only President awarded the Medal of Honor (which was political) and the Nobel Peace Prize (which he earned). He was perhaps the last American President to combine personal integrity and national vision with the ability to connect with Americans of all races, creeds and walks of life.
That said, this book is oddly organized, assumedly to meet the dictates of its series. It feels dashed off from three or four primary sources. It doesn't quite work as either a biography or a paean, but whets the reader's appetite for both Roosevelt's writings and more complete biographies.
He was certainly a brother with Washington and Lincoln. (Jefferson's kinship to the others is more problematic.) That the White House has not been occupied by their equal in the last hundred years is our loss.
December 12, 2024
I didn’t think it could happen, but a historical figure has (slightly) surpassed my love for Winston Churchill, and that person is Teddy Roosevelt. What a wonderful man.
March 31, 2023
Amazing life of Theodore Roosevelt, this man has so many incredible stories. First 2/3rds of this book were an absolute delight, bit of a slog to finish the final chapters.
April 5, 2024
My AO year 5 kid really enjoyed the first half of this book. The second half was a bit harder to get through.
I however, really liked it.
I however, really liked it.
May 21, 2015
Once while hiking and climbing in the Adirondacks, he had a Secret Service agent lower him with a rope around his ankles into a wide gorge, so he could take a close-up photograph of a bird's nest. But when the agent tried to pull the president up the cliff, he was unable to manage. Impatient, Roosevelt called up to the man, "Just cut the rope." Horrified, the agent refused - there was a thirty-foot drop between the president and the rushing water below. "Cut the rope," Roosevelt insisted. By this time the agent was panic stricken - but he could think of nothing to do. At last, the president took matters into his own hands and cut the rope himself. He plunged into the icy waters below. Terrified, the agent scrambled own a trail to the bottom of the gorge to discover the president lying at the water's edge, half-conscious, cut, bruised, and soaked to the bone. The great man looked up at him, smiled a huge toothy grin, and said,"My, wasn't that just bully!"
March 28, 2023
I learned so much! I’ll definitely be reading more on Theodore Roosevelt after this because my interest was piqued. The language and vocabulary in this one is impressive. I read it aloud and it was a mouthful, but as a “word nerd” I loved that. An unexpected delight!
February 10, 2024
I love George Grant. This book inspires me to be like Teddy. His boundless optimism and energy spur me on to productivity and higher purpose.
But I also noticed this time through a Grant biography that it is basic hagiography – making someone a saint. Since the purpose is to inspire and hold up as estimable, any failing or flaws are drastically minimized or ignored. Grant does better when treating issues (Blood of the Moon; Bringing in the Sheaves).
Each chapter is 3-4 small pages long – probably a blog post or magazine article somewhere else before compiled into this book.
If you need something short, quick, and inspiring, this is the book for you.
To actually learn about TR, you probably need to look elsewhere.
But I also noticed this time through a Grant biography that it is basic hagiography – making someone a saint. Since the purpose is to inspire and hold up as estimable, any failing or flaws are drastically minimized or ignored. Grant does better when treating issues (Blood of the Moon; Bringing in the Sheaves).
Each chapter is 3-4 small pages long – probably a blog post or magazine article somewhere else before compiled into this book.
If you need something short, quick, and inspiring, this is the book for you.
To actually learn about TR, you probably need to look elsewhere.
April 26, 2019
Ok... I might not have read the whole thing because it was split into three parts: his life, his character, and his legacy. I didn't enjoy it that much.
October 11, 2021
My daughter had to read this for a history class. Desiring you walk alongside her in her academic journey, I read it along with her. Great read!
April 13, 2020
2 stars as a kids’ book. 3 stars as an adult book. Ambleside Online schedules this in year 5. I read it aloud to my 6th grader because there was NO WAY she was going to understand it on her own.
Random example: “Affected by the thinking of the Distributists of Britain, the Christian Democrats of Holland and the early Agrarians of the South, Roosevelt took a position that essentially affirmed the principles of free enterprise, small business ownership, and open fair trade without embracing the corporatism, mercantilism, and uniformitarianism of monopolistic capitalism.”
These machine gun sentences are plentiful throughout the book. It was such slow going with me reading aloud and basically doing most of the narrating because she could not understand what was happening. I finally decided to let her stop when we were a little past the halfway point. We’d finished the biography portion, so I called it good enough. I wish I would have chosen a Landmark book or some other book more age appropriate. Sigh.
Anyway, I finished it on my own, and it was more enjoyable that way, but I did keep thinking, “What faults did this guy have? This almost seems like hero worship.” It became annoying to keep hearing how absolutely wonderful he was.
I’ve ordered a Messner biography for my child in place of next year’s Winston Churchill bio in this same series. My older child and I read the AO assigned Churchill bio, and I did enjoy it more than this one but still don’t love the style - especially for my upcoming year 6 student.
One last thing: the text in my book is stretched and not very crisp. This makes it difficult visually to read. That just added to an overall lukewarm experience. :/
Random example: “Affected by the thinking of the Distributists of Britain, the Christian Democrats of Holland and the early Agrarians of the South, Roosevelt took a position that essentially affirmed the principles of free enterprise, small business ownership, and open fair trade without embracing the corporatism, mercantilism, and uniformitarianism of monopolistic capitalism.”
These machine gun sentences are plentiful throughout the book. It was such slow going with me reading aloud and basically doing most of the narrating because she could not understand what was happening. I finally decided to let her stop when we were a little past the halfway point. We’d finished the biography portion, so I called it good enough. I wish I would have chosen a Landmark book or some other book more age appropriate. Sigh.
Anyway, I finished it on my own, and it was more enjoyable that way, but I did keep thinking, “What faults did this guy have? This almost seems like hero worship.” It became annoying to keep hearing how absolutely wonderful he was.
I’ve ordered a Messner biography for my child in place of next year’s Winston Churchill bio in this same series. My older child and I read the AO assigned Churchill bio, and I did enjoy it more than this one but still don’t love the style - especially for my upcoming year 6 student.
One last thing: the text in my book is stretched and not very crisp. This makes it difficult visually to read. That just added to an overall lukewarm experience. :/
October 25, 2012
My favorite president is Theodore Roosevelt, so I thought I would read this book.. And, all in all, it was a good book. They have 3-5 page sections where they go through things about him like; his childhood, how humble he was, all the adventures he was in, how he read a lot and knew many things, and how he was a strong christian(there is like 100 sections).
It really gave me a better understanding of his life.
It really gave me a better understanding of his life.
October 18, 2022
A praise of Theodore Roosevelt and the leadership lessons we can learn from him.
This book is not a standard biography by any means, but more of a moral history where the purpose is to learn and develop character. It doesn’t attempt to hide the author’s perspective at all, and presents Roosevelt in an exclusively positive light. The chapters are very short and don’t feel overburdened, but the repeated use of several quotes in a book this short grow stale after a while. Overall it’s well paced and a good brief introduction to Roosevelt’s life, and the aspects of his character with this imitating.
This book is not a standard biography by any means, but more of a moral history where the purpose is to learn and develop character. It doesn’t attempt to hide the author’s perspective at all, and presents Roosevelt in an exclusively positive light. The chapters are very short and don’t feel overburdened, but the repeated use of several quotes in a book this short grow stale after a while. Overall it’s well paced and a good brief introduction to Roosevelt’s life, and the aspects of his character with this imitating.
June 1, 2022
Great and fun little biography of a great man. Grant makes it clear when he starts off that this isn't an exhaustive biography but rather a short summery of the life of a good man. I appreciated his conciseness and now I would like to read full biographies about Theodore Roosevelt. I think this would especially be helpful to middle school or high-school students with a shorter attention span or someone who is less inclined to read biographies.
August 18, 2022
Ambleside year 5
Every time I read about the life of Theodore Roosevelt, I am reminded and re amazed about how his life lived out was a CM education. So admire this man.
Additionally, reading so many of his direct quotes made me even more interested to read the letters to his children that have been published.
The strong contrast portrayed between he and his cousin Franklin sparked additional curiosity as well. Gotta love the rabbit trails. Gotta ❤️ Teddy.
Every time I read about the life of Theodore Roosevelt, I am reminded and re amazed about how his life lived out was a CM education. So admire this man.
Additionally, reading so many of his direct quotes made me even more interested to read the letters to his children that have been published.
The strong contrast portrayed between he and his cousin Franklin sparked additional curiosity as well. Gotta love the rabbit trails. Gotta ❤️ Teddy.
April 13, 2023
Even though I have a degree in organizational leadership, I have learned more about leadership in this book then in those 4 years of college. Theodore Roosevelt argues that a thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education. So glad I love that amazing book too. This is one of the most inspiring books I’ve ever read. I also can’t stop telling friends, students and my gf about how great a person he was.
April 27, 2019
As the title previews, this little book looks at the positive aspects of the man, Theodore Roosevelt. It tells some of his life story, it includes many of his own words, it points out his positive character traits, and it gives a lengthy bibliography not only of President Roosevelt’s writings but lists of other books about him.
October 16, 2023
I read this book with our 11 year old son for his history class. The teacher suggested a parent read it with them and it's a good thing because many words and ideas were difficult for an 11 year old to read and comprehend. I had a hard time with some of the words too. :) However, it was an interesting read on the life of Theodore Roosevelt and I learned quite a bit from reading it.
January 23, 2024
Teddy Roosevelt is fast becoming my favorite President and this book helps solidify that opinion. In my opinion, there are NO leaders in our world today that match him in integrity, strength, and faith. For a child that was not expected to live to the age of 4, he learned at a young age how to fight to become physically stronger. This is a great book about a great man.
June 3, 2018
The first section was very interesting. Parts two and three took a little too much effort to power through for me to give it more than a three rating. Overall a good biography of this incredibly pivotal figure.
October 21, 2024
A very enjoyable and inspiring biography of Theodore Roosevelt, my favorite US President. I first came into contact with this book when my mom read it to me and my sister for school. Great for any homeschool families out there, especially Christain ones!
June 9, 2017
Amazing
I have never had so much fun reading a school book.
Thats all i have to say. It's just that good
🤓🤓🤓📚
I have never had so much fun reading a school book.
Thats all i have to say. It's just that good
🤓🤓🤓📚
June 17, 2017
Great book. I really enjoyed this short biography of Roosevelt. It was so funny and really easy to read.
July 26, 2018
Preread for AO Year 5.
December 31, 2019
This is a great read. I loved seeing all of the quotes from the book. It really taught me how amazing Theodore Roosevelt was.
June 19, 2020
Second book I’ve read about Teddy. It only made me love him more.
January 18, 2021
Really enjoyed this book as it was a great short insight into the life of this great man!
May 4, 2021
Great book
This is a great read! So many of his thoughts about politics and leadership are more valid today than ever
This is a great read! So many of his thoughts about politics and leadership are more valid today than ever
January 4, 2023
A life of excellence
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews