Women, employment and exclusion Book

The biography of Theodore Roosevelt by Matt Donnelly, Larger than Life, is a complete overview of Teddy Roosevelt from childhood to death. It does a terrific job on Teddy’s life and how, as President, he managed a country with fair politics and with a “bully” attitude. The book begins with his childhood and shows that although the Roosevelts were rich and wealthy folk, they had a heart for charity and wanted to help others. When Teddy was born, he was a very sick child and his family did everything they could to help with his asthma, including medical help that would be called unconventional today. Doctors prescribed cigars for his asthma treatment. However, his family cared for him deeply and wanted him to live a long happy life. It wasn’t until he was a teen that he was instructed by his doctors to build his chest muscles so that he would have an easier time breathing. When he graduated from college, Theodore Roosevelt decided to get involved with politics. By the time he was in his late twenties, he met Alice his first wife. People who knew Teddy well said that she was the most beautiful woman ever. Sadly Alice died years later and left him in turmoil. He fell into a depression. Later, he met his childhood sweetheart, Edith Kermit Carow, married her and lived happily until his death in 1919. Teddy has gone down in history as a historic figure and the iconic image as one of America’s finest presidents. From his military career with the Rough Riders of Cuba to his amazing progressive politics in the White House, Theodore Roosevelt was truly a great president and did indeed have a view that was “larger than life.”
Matt Donnelly writes in a historical narrative that is extremely straight forward and makes the reader understand Theodore Roosevelt’s life and family. The book is well researched and the author presents both Teddy Roosevelt’s personal life as well as his contributions to history. It is obvious that Donnelly admires Roosevelt, but he does not make judgments or assumptions about Roosevelt’s motivations. All and all “Larger than Life” is a great book that tells a personal story mixed with the historical facts about Theodore Roosevelt. It is a highly informative and interesting book. After reading this book, I understand why Theodore Roosevelt deserves his place on Mt. McKinley.