The Bully Pulpit

Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism

By: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 36 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2015 Audie Award for History/Biography and Finalist for Audiobook of the Year

Audie Award, History/Biography, 2015

After Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, Doris Kearns Goodwin wields her magic on another larger-than-life president, and another momentous and raucous American time period as she brings Theodore Roosevelt, the muckraking journalists, and the Progressive Era to life.

As she focused on the relationships between Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in No Ordinary Time, and on Lincoln and his team in Team of Rivals, Goodwin describes the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft. With the help of the "muckraking" press - including legendary journalists Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffens, William Allen White, and editor Sam McClure - Roosevelt had wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupting money brokers. Roosevelt led a revolution that he bequeathed to Taft only to see it compromised as Taft surrendered to money men and big business. The rupture between the two led Roosevelt to run against Taft for president, an ultimately futile race that resulted in the election of Democrat Woodrow Wilson and the diminishment of Theodore Roosevelt's progressive wing of the Republican Party.

Like Goodwin's chronicles of the Civil War and the Great Depression, The Bully Pulpit describes a time in our history that enlightened and changed the country, ushered in the modern age, and produced some unforgettable men and women.

©2013 Doris Kearns Goodwin (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

“Few audio productions this year are likely to match, or deserve as much praise as, this history of the Progressive Era and the presidential friendship that shaped, and was destroyed by, its politics... Edward Herrmann is simply her most simpatico reader...his steady, unflagging delivery is perfectly attuned to her narrative voice and, without mimicry, to the broad array of voices, personalities, and events that highlight this rich personal and social drama.” (AudioFile Magazine)

“Swiftly moving account of a friendship that turned sour, broke a political party in two and involved an insistent, omnipresent press corps. . . . It’s no small achievement to have something new to say on Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency, but Goodwin succeeds admirably. A notable, psychologically charged study in leadership.”(Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

great narrative

great narrative, learned a lot of new information. Hermann does a good job of keeping the story going.

A wonderfully fascinating and engaging story!

It is hard to get a full appreciation of just how significant were the early years of the 20th century in American politics. But "The Bully Pulpit" sure goes a long way in that regard. The modern politics of personality truly saw their birth in the 1912 race between Roosevelt and Taft, and it coincided with a revolution in journalism that saw the creation of the investigative reporter. That Roosevelt has become a legend in modern American history is undisputed; but Doris Goodwin shows Roosevelt with all of his faults, excesses, and near megalomania for the presidency. Goodwin also portrays a far more nuanced and sympathetic fewest have to then we traditionally see in history books, underlining the president's personal struggles and his fundamentally different temperament from Roosevelt. The story of the two men's fortunes, and the development of the first American muckrakers, make for a wholly fascinating story from start to finish. And the narration from Ed Herrmann is spot on, conveying nuances that perhaps are not possible in the simple written words. Wholeheartedly recommend this audiobook!

Informative and engaging

Overpowering the discussion of trusts and tariffs is the human story of the relationship between Roosevelt and Taft, through its ups and downs, with the noble and heroic aspects of each man coming through. I am always fascinated to learn the little-known elements of personality and happenstance that shape and influence major points in our history.
I honestly think I could listen to Edward Herrmann reading selections from the telephone directory.

Really enjoyed this book

Any additional comments?

You really have to love history. The book is very detailed and based mostly off of personal letters written between Teddy and Taft. It can get a little long-winded at times, but that being said, I don't know what I would remove from book if asked to shorten it.

I really loved learning more about Taft, a little-known character in history. He was truly a great man.

Better Than Expected

Masterfully researched and written. Encompassed much more than biographical review if Roosevelt & Taft. Takes you back to the period, and provides much insight into the times.

outstanding

Everyone knows something of Roosevelt, for good reason, but this book shows the unheralded Taft as his colleague, foil, and perhaps, in some ways, equal.

Imagine a time when Presidents actually wrote their own speeches.

Not only did Roosevelt and Taft spend days preparing their own political speeches, they solicited each other for comments before presenting. Doris Kearns Goodwin introduces us to the presidents' families and White House staff and takes us back to an era that changed the way we lived and did business in America. There's also an insiders view (from the notes and journals of the authors) of the first political magazines and writers. "Team of Rivals" is still my favorite book but this comes close.

Great book!

I learned so very much! I knew practically nothing of Taft...this book has made me what to learn so much more of both men.

Doris Goodwin Kearns is the "best"! I wish she would write about Lodge & Wilson!!

Thank you Audible!!

A spectacular biography of many interesting people.

The thoughtful use of the three cornered hat: Roosevelt, Taft and journalists of the day was brilliant and to my knowledge unique. It brought to life many real historical figures and put them all in a context that related each to the other and the times in which they lived. Thanks for the hard work. The Narration was 1st class.

Good narrative, little analysis

What did you like best about this story?

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a terrific narrator, and does a good job relating the sweep of history and how her various characters fit into the sweep (and influence the sweep as well). With respect to Taft & Roosevelt, and especially the latter, there is not a lot of new information here, but it is the "how" of the narration that is new, the connecting of the dots between the two of them, and between them & the history of the US that is novel here.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It would be impossible and indeed undesirable to read this in just one sitting, it is a sprawling story, in the way Kearns Goodwin tells it. And it is better to take smaller bites over a longer period, to appreciate the story.

Any additional comments?

A strength of this book and indeed of all of this author's books, is her strength as a narrator. A weakness is the absence of analysis. And, often, along with that lack, the portrayal of the protagonists with a substantial deemphasis of their flaws. Not so much their flaws as people but the flaws of their policies.