• The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

  • By: Edmund Morris
  • Narrated by: Mark Deakins
  • Length: 26 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (4,501 ratings)

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The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt  By  cover art

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

By: Edmund Morris
Narrated by: Mark Deakins
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Publisher's summary

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time.

Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic", The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest biographies of our time.

The publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt on September 14th, 2001 marks the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt becoming president.

©2001 Edmund Morris (P)2010 Random House

Critic reviews

"Magnificent...a sweeping narrative of the outward man and a shrewd examination of his character....It is one of those rare works that is both definitive for the period it covers and fascinating to read for sheer entertainment. There should be a queue awaiting the next volume." ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A biography of a DYNAMO of force and energy.

A masterful presidential biography of a dynamo of force and energy and an absolute iconoclast of American politics. Morris is one of the rare breed of modern, well-published historians (Caro, Bushman, Donald, etc) who is able to easily combine the narrative grace and vivid details of popluar historians (Foote, Goodwin, Ambrose) with the scholarly analysis and weight of academia; and then does it again and again and again.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Totally awesome.

Totally awesome. I couldn't wait to listen to more. It read like a novel. So much detail and background.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable

Fantastic, engaging, fascinating biography of TR's pre-presidency years. TR was a man for all seasons and ran through life with blind and uber-confident ambition. Morris does an amazing job of telling the story. I love his points of humor interspersed throughout. Deakins is excellent - I loved his portrayal of TR's voice - he sounds appropriately pompous, bombastic, and confident. I've moved on to the next volume and I'm disappointed to see that Deakins didn't narrate that one. This one is highly recommended.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

the best biography ever

well told, interestesting and easy to understand, this is the first in the definitive teddy roosevelt biographical trilogy

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A compelling story of the making of TR

Would you listen to The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt again? Why?

This book covers his birth (family history) up to the Vice Presidency. The author weaves together the many adventures - an apt term for a character like TR - that give you an amazing sense of the man. Well drawn together references and reading between the lines of sources like his biography give readers the insight/analysis they'd expect in dedicated themselves to a multi-volume series of this size.

What other book might you compare The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt to and why?

This is a Presidential Biography of the calibre of Ron Chernow's Washington: A Life.

What does Mark Deakins bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The rendition by the narrator has some much body that you'll come to feel his TR voice is the real thing. The delivery is dramatic but not acting - it keeps to the feel of a book rather than going towards a performance (which is something I don't like).

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Backstory of Teddy

This book gives a comprehensive and well-told backstory of one of the most interesting leaders America has ever seen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Understand this Amazing Man

This is the first of THREE books. The author did a great job of describing the life of Theodore Roosevelt. If you have the time, this is the series to read. Very entertaining. I like biographies, but this series was better than most. Teddy was amazing and this book did his crowded life justice.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful

This book truly captures the development of Roosevelt and chronicles the history of his life during his rise to the presidency. It should be required reading.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very good but....

Although title is clear it’s his rise, it would have been made sense to not stop at him becoming president.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story, Great Narrator!!!

This is one of the best books read, Teddy Roosevelt is one of the most interesting people I've ever read about! He had multiple life times worth of experiences, courageous and fascinating. This is a very inspiring story, and the writing and narration are brilliant.

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