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)

The best book of the year

The combination of Doris Goodwin's superbly interesting narrative and Ed Hermann's fabulous voice takes us back a hundred years and lets us walk around. A champ of a book! I was so sorry to finish it after 18 wonderful hours.

Doris Goodwin - at her best

Where does The Bully Pulpit rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 3

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Bully Pulpit?

Listening to the breakup and reuniting of Taft and Roosevelt

Which character – as performed by Edward Herrmann – was your favorite?

Teddy Roosevelt

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Roosevelt returned from Africa to discover Taft had let him down.

Any additional comments?

It's history that hasn't been told before. And no one can write history better than Doris Kearns Goodwin. Talking about a "progressive" Republican. Fighting some of the same battles being fought today.

Fantastic!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Bully Pulpit to be better than the print version?

No, I love both forms. The print version has beautiful photos. I love that.

What did you like best about this story?

The personalization of the characters. Doris Kearns Goodwin really knows how to bring those characters into your home. It was wonderful. I feel like I know Presidents Roosevelt and Taft and their wives personally.

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of Roosevelt and Taft walking together along the streets of Washington, DC. Both men are physically distinct, and for some reason, I found that scene amusing and beautifully memorable - a picture of a great friendship.

Superb!

There are a lot of striking parallels to today's politics, and this tale provides lessons and hope for today, even though I suspect that was not necessarily her intention when Doris Kearns Goodwin set out in her initial research. The Progressives promoted many social justice reforms that were considered radical and socialistic in their day but which are now nearly universally accepted. Teddy Roosevelt's political and moral leadership were instrumental in advancing many of these reforms. William Howard Taft was a revelation. His genuinely self-effacing, winsome style contrasted so much with Roosevelt's pugnaciousness, yet he proved to be a courageous, remarkably gifted and highly effective executive. Roosevelt's and Taft's political partnership and deep, lasting friendship provides such a captivating and satisfying central story. Prior to his unsuccessful run for a 3rd term in 1912, I was surprised by how tempered and pragmatic Roosevelt was in his political fights, from which he never shied away. He courted his opponents and treated them with surprising dignity and respect, without compromising his high moral principles, believing that the weight of right and truth and the soundness of his arguments would ultimately win public support and carry the day, which it often did. It was only in the final campaign that he turned his campaigning into the kind of harsh, personal, degrading attacks on his opponents (including Taft) that has become standard practice today, having succumbed to the belief that only he could save the republic. The final protagonists in this epic were the reform journalists that emerged during the period, almost inventing 'investigative journalism.' Doris Kearns Godwin illuminates their critical but relatively brief role, individually and collectively, in identifying social injustices and promoting reform ideas to the public. I have always conceived of the term "muckrakers" as a pejorative term, which it was largely meant to be when Roosevelt first employed it. However, it was very enlightening to see the intimate relationship Roosevelt maintained with the journalists that significantly benefitted both the president and the journalists. I was inspired by the work of the McClure's Magazine staff writers - exceptional individuals that were unknown to me - and their meticulous, fair-minded pursuit of "the facts" that they let speak for themselves. (This seems almost quaint by today's standards in an era of 'alternative facts' that all but obscures the facts or raises doubts about whether one can even identify the truth.) This is a lasting example of what high-quality journalism can be. Finally, I enjoyed the central role each president's wife and family played throughout the story. I'm glad this was not ignored or minimized. Putting all this together with my favorite narrator, Edward Herrmann, and the product is an exceptional story and listen! One of the most enjoyable and enlightening books I've ever read.

History writing at its best!

don't let length scare you. I was sitting in my car after arriving at destination because I couldn't stop.

a new love for history

the greatest review I think I can give is that of my own experience. I have always considered history to be a bore. Dorris has given me a love for history, as well as a love for politics. to this I thank her.

Couldn't Stop!

An epic tale of Roosevelt, Taft, and the prominent journalists of the day told in a way that brings them to life a century later. It was amazing how many of the issues of the early 20th century are still being debated today. Great book!

Just Terrific

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a master of vivid history. She puts the reader in the room and paints with bright imagry to hold the reader's attention and interest.

Great story

Very interesting to note how similar were the issues then to present day politics. This was an absorbing and well done book. Mr. Herman was, as always, marvelous.

Wow!

If you LOVE US History, yes by all means Yes! If you only like it you’ll be bored. For me.... WOW!