Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated by our 26th president for a long time. Most of us would be content with being known for one or two good things in our lifetime; TR was many things, and his work still impacts us over a century after his death. I wondered, who was this guy? He is relatively short, stocky, near-sighted, and not your typical action hero, yet he accomplished so much in a life that barely got through 60 years. I found so much more than I expected, and you will, too. Roll up your sleeves, get in the arena with TR, and, as he often said, “Get action!”


I wrote

The Heights of Valor

By David Tindell,

Book cover of The Heights of Valor

What is my book about?

In 1898, Charles Dawson left college life behind to join the Rough Riders and fight for Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba.…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

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

David Tindell Why did I love this book?

One of America’s best historians vividly brings the Gilded Age to life in his book about the early life of our 26th president. As a history buff, I love being transported back in time, even if it’s just via the page.

McCullough does an excellent job painting a picture of a wealthy New York family whose eldest child was so afflicted with asthma that doctors said he wouldn’t reach adulthood. Inspired by his father, Theodore Roosevelt not only reached adulthood but conquered it in a way no American ever has before or since.

What motivated young Teddy to build his body to match his inquiring, razor-sharp mind? What drove him to excel at Harvard and court the prettiest girl in Boston? How did this city dude become a cattle rancher and cowboy? This unique man’s life had a unique beginning, and it’s all here.

By David McCullough,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Mornings on Horseback as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The National Book Award–winning biography that tells the story of how young Teddy Roosevelt transformed himself from a sickly boy into the vigorous man who would become a war hero and ultimately president of the United States, told by master historian David McCullough.

Mornings on Horseback is the brilliant biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed as “a masterpiece” (John A. Gable, Newsday), it is the winner of the Los Angeles Times 1981 Book Prize for Biography and the National Book Award for Biography. Written by David McCullough, the author of Truman, this is the story of a remarkable little…


Book cover of The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century

David Tindell Why did I love this book?

Many books have been written about TR’s time in the Rough Riders, including his 1899 version (I have an original), but Risen’s is perhaps the best. He provides context by delving into the Spanish occupation of Cuba and why it motivated so many young Americans to take up arms to free its people.

Foremost among them was 39-year-old Theodore Roosevelt, a family man with a safe government job willing to risk it all in combat. They had only three weeks of training before shipping out, and their logistical support was nightmarish. They didn’t even have enough food while on the march to San Juan Heights, and mosquitoes felled as many men as Spanish bullets, yet TR and the Rough Riders charged into history. I felt as if I was charging right along with them.

By Clay Risen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Crowded Hour as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The “gripping” (The Washington Post) story of the most famous regiment in American history: the Rough Riders, a motley group of soldiers led by Theodore Roosevelt, whose daring exploits marked the beginning of American imperialism in the 20th century.

When America declared war on Spain in 1898, the US Army had just 26,000 men, spread around the country—hardly an army at all. In desperation, the Rough Riders were born. A unique group of volunteers, ranging from Ivy League athletes to Arizona cowboys and led by Theodore Roosevelt, they helped secure victory in Cuba in a series of gripping, bloody fights…


Ad

Book cover of The Pianist's Only Daughter: A Memoir

The Pianist's Only Daughter By Kathryn Betts Adams,

The Pianist's Only Daughter is a frank, humorous, and heartbreaking exploration of aging in an aging expert's own family.

Social worker and gerontologist Kathryn Betts Adams spent decades negotiating evolving family dynamics with her colorful and talented parents: her mother, an English scholar and poet, and her father, a pianist…

Book cover of Theodore Rex

David Tindell Why did I love this book?

The middle book of Morris’ definitive biography of Roosevelt (following The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and preceding Colonel Roosevelt) brought me into the White House along with 42-year-old TR as he was thrust into the presidency after William McKinley’s assassination in 1901.

Thus begins an administration like nothing the country had ever seen or likely will ever see again. Morris takes what could be simply a dry accounting of Roosevelt’s accomplishments—and failures—in office and makes them into a story that’s almost like a novel. If you’ve ever wondered why Roosevelt is on Mount Rushmore, this book will tell you why.

Over a century later, his accomplishments still greatly impact American life, and not just in the area of conservation, for which he is perhaps most remembered. Way ahead of his time on things like civil rights and women’s suffrage, TR was not afraid to take on the entrenched political and financial titans of the day to do “the hard work that must be done.”

By Edmund Morris,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Theodore Rex as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A shining portrait of a presciently modern political genius maneuvering in a gilded age of wealth, optimism, excess and American global ascension.”—San Francisco Chronicle

WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR BIOGRAPHY • “[Theodore Rex] is one of the great histories of the American presidency, worthy of being on a shelf alongside Henry Adams’s volumes on Jefferson and Madison.”—Times Literary Supplement

Theodore Rex is the story—never fully told before—of Theodore Roosevelt’s two world-changing terms as President of the United States. A hundred years before the catastrophe of September 11, 2001, “TR” succeeded to…


Book cover of Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership: Executive Lessons from the Bully Pulpit

David Tindell Why did I love this book?

“Far and away, life's best prize is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” I loved this book because it tells us exactly what we should be doing now: rolling up our sleeves and getting into the arena. The federal bureaucracy of the early 20th century was smaller but no less entrenched than it is here in the 21st. And Congress was, if anything, even harder to deal with then than it is now (despite the lack of TV cameras).

How can any president hope to get anything important accomplished? TR shows us how. His instructions to his cabinet secretaries often include three words: “I want results.” He also shows us how to work with, and sometimes around or even through, the titans of industry to build the economy and avoid labor strife. This book should be a must-read for anybody who wants to lead anything, be it a team, a company, or a nation.

By James M. Strock,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Harness the Power of TR's Charisma
Theodore Roosevelt was a leader of uncommon strength who, through the sheer force of his extraordinary will, turned America into a modern world power. Thrown headfirst into the presidency by the assassination of his predecessor, he led with courage, character, and vision in the face of overwhelming challenges, whether busting corporate trusts or building the Panama Canal. Roosevelt has been a hero to millions of Americans for over a century and is a splendid model to help you master today's turbulent marketplace and be a hero and a leader in your own organization.


Ad

Book cover of Brother. Do. You. Love. Me.

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. By Manni Coe, Reuben Coe (illustrator),

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. is a true story of brotherly love overcoming all. Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, was trapped in a care home during the pandemic, spiralling deeper into a non-verbal depression. From isolation and in desperation, he sent his older brother Manni a text, "brother. do. you.…

Book cover of In Trace of TR: A Montana Hunter's Journey

David Tindell Why did I love this book?

I picked up this book while doing my “trace of TR” trip out West with my brother in 2011. We rode through the Badlands on horseback and saw the site of Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, even the bar in Wibaux, where he knocked out a bully with a one-two combination.

Aadland, a Montana rancher, and TR aficionado decided to follow the paths of Roosevelt’s ranching days and hunting expeditions on foot and horseback, the way Roosevelt did himself in the 1880s. TR often credited his time in the Badlands for making him into the man who became a president.

What is there about this land that has such an impact? Having ridden there myself, I can understand a little, but Aadland’s experience as a modern rancher lends a context that really helps us understand this vital period of Roosevelt’s life.

By Dan Aadland,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked In Trace of TR as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

As a student of American history, as a hunter, horseman, and former Marine, and as someone passionate about the West, Dan Aadland had long felt a kinship with Theodore Roosevelt. One day, on a single-footing horse, lever-action rifle under his knee, Aadland set out to become acquainted with TR as only those who shared his experiences could. In Trace of TR documents that quest, inviting readers to ride along and get to know Theodore Roosevelt through the western environment that so profoundly influenced him.

Accompany Aadland as he rides the broad prairies in search of TR's "prongbuck," tracks elk through…


Explore my book 😀

The Heights of Valor

By David Tindell,

Book cover of The Heights of Valor

What is my book about?

In 1898, Charles Dawson left college life behind to join the Rough Riders and fight for Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba. His diary—containing his time in the regiment—is passed along to future generations of the Dawson family as each answers his country’s call.

Finally, in the 21st century, it is presented to Jake Dawson, who gave up a college wrestling career to join the Army. His goal: to be a Special Forces officer like his grandfather—the grandson of the Rough Rider—who fell in Vietnam. Jake’s path to the Green Beret is difficult, his deployments dangerous, but he has his ancestor’s words to guide him, and he’ll need all of his great-great-grandfather’s help when he faces the biggest challenge of his young career.

Book cover of Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt
Book cover of The Crowded Hour: Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Riders, and the Dawn of the American Century
Book cover of Theodore Rex

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,588

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 You might also like…

Book cover of Trial, Error, and Success: 10 Insights into Realistic Knowledge, Thinking, and Emotional Intelligence

Trial, Error, and Success By Sima Dimitrijev, PhD, Maryann Karinch,

Everything in nature evolves by trial, error, and success—from fundamental physics, through evolution in biology, to how people learn, think, and decide.

This book presents a way of thinking and realistic knowledge that our formal education shuns. Stepping beyond this ignorance, the book shows how to deal with and even…

Book cover of Returning to Eden

Returning to Eden By Rebecca Hartt,

Looking for clean romantic suspense with spiritual undertones?

Look no further than the Acts of Valor series by Rebecca Hartt. With thousands of reviews and 4.7-5.0 stars per book, this 6-book series is a must-read for readers searching for memorable, well-told stories by an award-winning author.

A dead man stands…

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Teddy Roosevelt, Montana, and childhood?

Teddy Roosevelt 46 books
Montana 81 books
Childhood 200 books