The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King

A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt and His Times

By: Jerome Charyn

Narrated by: Danny Campbell

Raising the literary bar to a new level, Jerome Charyn re-creates the voice of Theodore Roosevelt, the New York City police commissioner, Rough Rider, and soon-to-be 26th president through his derring-do adventures, effortlessly combining superhero dialogue with haunting pathos. Beginning with his sickly childhood and concluding with McKinley's assassination, the novel positions Roosevelt as a "perfect bull in a china shop," a fearless crime fighter and pioneering environmentalist who would grow up to be our greatest peacetime president.

With an operatic cast, including "Bamie", his handicapped older sister; Eleanor, his gawky little niece; as well as the devoted Rough Riders, the novel memorably features the lovable mountain lion Josephine, who helped train Roosevelt for his "crowded hour", the charge up San Juan Hill. Lauded by Jonathan Lethem for his "polymorphous imagination and crack comic timing", Charyn has created a classic of historical fiction, confirming his place as "one of the most important writers in American literature" (Michael Chabon).

©2019 Jerome Charyn (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Critic reviews

“A rendering of Teddy Roosevelt's early life that spotlights formative moments in colorful, entertaining episodes. Charyn makes artful use of historical fact and fiction's panache to capture the man before he became one of the great U.S. presidents and a face on Mount Rushmore.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

loved it

. Love Stuff performance. interesting how he depicts the politics just as they are today, crooked on both sides!