Lion in the White House
A Life of Theodore Roosevelt

The author inserted their own politics into the story of Teddy Roosevelt. Championing everything with which they agreed (even then taking shots with those she disagrees). If I wanted a book on the political opinions of Aida Donald, I would have searched for it.......more

OK short bio of Theodore Roosevelt. Too uncritical and broad most of the time, but if you want a "basics" and not have to read Ted Morgan's massive bio (already at @1,500 pp, and only 2 of proposed 3 volumes done at this time), this will fill the bill. She spends too much time showing how Teddy was......more

It should not have taken me 6.25 years to read this book 😅, but it did. It may have even taken me longer now that I'm thinking about it, because I can't quite placed when I started. So I hope the start date I put down was correct when I did so. When I first started this book Theodore Roosevelt was my......more

An enjoyably short, easy biography. I was sad to see some of my favorite anecdotes skipped over, but such choices need to be made when condensing such a life. Still, it doesn't stand up to Joseph Ellis' far greater (short, easy) biography of Washington, "His Excellency." Donald's writing isn't the b......more

The book offers a broad overview of Roosevelt's life, from his sickly childhood to his robust adulthood and his ascent to the presidency. However, the book falls short when it comes to delving deeply into Roosevelt's policies and actions during his time in the White House. While Donald touches on si......more